


PMD2: Explorations of Time and Darkness

by animatedrose



Category: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness & Explorers of Sky
Genre: Amnesia, Blood and Injury, Bullying, Dimensional Scream, Exile, Flare has daddy issues, Flooding, Gen, Guild Life, Hot Spring, Kidnapping, Murder, OCs submitted from fanfiction.net, Relic Fragment, Returning Home, Rivals, Scythe and Alani appeared in one-shots too, Suspicion, Team Skull actually trying to help, Thievery, Unlikely to be Finished, Visions, allies fighting each other, apocalyptic future, attacks on exploration teams, based on PMD2's plot but with original twists and junk, conflicting villain interests, footprint identification, from my old fanfiction.net account, geysers, hidden Shadow Pokemon forms, i like Shadow Pokemon okay, lost in the snow, lots of submitted OCs from fanfiction.net, meeting Grovyle early, new recruits, normal rank fighting a diamond rank team, old, pokemon being turned to stone, sentry duty, separated teams, snow falling in the desert, time gears, time problems, time stopping, treasure town - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 52,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25020433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animatedrose/pseuds/animatedrose
Summary: Shelly, a former human, unites with Flare the Vulpix to form Team Moonlight. As they save Pokemon and have adventures, mysterious disappearances are occurring and Time Gears are being stolen. And who are the strange wolves wreathed in shadow?
Kudos: 3





	1. Shelly the Amnesiac Pikachu

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The waves of the sea crashed against the cliffs and the beach. White foam covered the tops of the waves. The rain was hitting hard, feeling like needles. A terrible storm was rocking the sea!

Suddenly, there were voices.

"Are you okay?!" a male's voice called.

"Whoa!" a female cried.

"No, don't let go! Just a little longer! Come on, hang on!" the male encouraged, tightening his grip on the female.

"We're nearly there, sir!" a second male's voice called, sounding a bit younger. "Miss, please hang on!"

"N-n-no! I can't hold on! Waaaaaah!" the female screamed as she lost her grip, tumbling into the ferocious waves. A second voice seemed to join with hers, and then she vanished into the waves.

More lightning flashed, showing a large cliff. It looked like the head of a shark was carved into the top of the cliff. Waves pounded on the rocks at the bottom. Then there was darkness.

_Hours later..._

"...Urrgh..."

The sea was calm, the sun's light reflecting off of its smooth surface. The storm passed long ago, but not before leaving someone stranded on a nearby beach. It was the female.

"Where... Where am I?"

She feebly raised her head, only to rest it again as dizziness overcame her. All she could see was sand, rocks, and water.

"...I can't... Drifting off..."

She fainted once again. An orange otter-like creature raced in from the sea, laughing. Once it noticed the unconscious figure, it ran to her side.

"Hey, are you okay?" it—no, she—asked. "Oh, snap! Flare better get here and fast!"

_Elsewhere..._

A young Vulpix stood before a giant Wigglytuff-shaped tent. The fox-like Pokemon had six curled tail and three curls on her head. Light brown fur covered most of her body except for her paws, tails, stomach, and the curls on her head. Her tails and the curls were reddish-brown, her stomach was white, and her paws were brown.

She stood before a large grate, two large torches on either side of the tent shining brightly enough to make her fur look red. Two totem poles with many different Pokemon carved into them were close to the stairs that led to the four-way path. The Vulpix sat there, waiting.

"Hmm..." she hummed. She started pacing in front of the grate. "No! I refuse to be paralyzed by this any longer! This is it. I have to steel my courage today. Before father finds out what I have done." She stepped onto the grate.

Suddenly, a voice shouted, "Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?" another voice bellowed.

"The footprint is Vulpix's!" the first voice cried. "The footprint is Vulpix's!"

"AAAAH!" The Vulpix leaped off of the grate, terrified of the strange voices. Looking around wildly for enemy Pokemon, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths to calm down. "That was frightening. Whew..." She sighed sadly. "...I can't... I can't work up the courage to go in after all... I told myself that this was the day, but..." She stepped closer to the grate, only to back away again.

She took out a small rock covered in swirling patterns.

"I thought that holding onto my mom's gift would inspire me...I guess not." She returned it to the tattered brown bag that was slung around her shoulders.

She looked up at the brightly colored sky. The sun was setting, turning the sky various shades of orange, red, pink, and purple. She could see stars slowly appearing.

"Hmm... I just can't do it. Father was right. I'm such a coward... Forgive me, mother. I have failed. This is so disappointing..." She turned around and walked away. Upon reaching the stairs, she looked back at the tent. "I'm sorry, mother." She walked down the steps.

Back in front of the tent, a Koffing and a Zubat came out. "Hey, Zubat. Did you get a load of that?!" Koffing asked.

"You bet I did, Koffing." Zubat chuckled.

"That little wimp that was pacing around... She had something good, right?" Koffing asked.

"That wimp had something, that's for sure," Zubat agreed. "It looked like some kind of treasure."

"Do we go after it?"

"We do," Zubat confirmed.

The duo quickly went down the steps in pursuit of the saddened Vulpix.

_The beach..._

The sea was gently lapping against the beach. The various Krabby were blowing bubbles that caught the light of the setting sun, making them glow. The Vulpix walked along the beach and turned to look at the sea.

"Oh, wow! What a pretty sight!" she whispered.

The bubbles were floating into the sky, sparkling from the fading sunshine.

"When the weather's good, the Krabby come out at sundown and blow bubbles. All those bubbles, catching the setting sun's rays off the waves... It's always beautiful, just like mother said," the Vulpix said, smiling. "...This is where I always come when I'm feeling sorry for myself. But it makes me feel good to be here, like always. Coming here cheers me up."

Then she looked down the beach. Something caught her eye.

"Hey... What's that? What's going on over there?" she wondered. She wandered closer and gasped. "Alani, what's wrong?" She ran to her friend's side.

The orange otter looked up, relieved. "You're finally here, Flare! I was out surfing with Waily and when I came up on shore, I saw this. Someone collapsed on the sand! She's been unconscious for a while now."

"I'm so sorry, Alani!" Flare cried. "I didn't mean to take so long!"

"Calm down, Flare," Alani reassured with a wave of a paw. "If it's one thing we Buizel are good at, besides swimming, is patiently waiting for friends. Now, what do we do about her?"

The unconscious Pokemon had bright yellow fur with two brown stripes across her back. Long ears tipped with black were on the top of her head, and she had a lightning bolt-shaped tail with an inward curve, proving her to be female. Two red spots were on her cheeks. From her partially-dried fur, she had been here through most of the afternoon.

"What happened?!" Vulpix asked, shaking the Pokemon. "Are you okay? Please wake up!"

The Pokemon opened her eyes. _...Ugh..._ Standing up, she shook off the dizziness plaguing her.

"You're awake! That's a relief," Vulpix said.

"Yeah, I was sure she'd drowned." Alani chuckled. "Can you take care of her? I'm going surfing some more."

"Of course, Alani." Flare nodded. "Thanks for the help!"

"No problem!" The Buizel ran back out into the surf, laughing as she dove into the water. In seconds, she was gone.

The mysterious Pokemon started looking around. _Where... Where am I...?_

Vulpix backed off a bit. "You weren't moving at all. Alani and I were very worried. Do you remember how you ended up out here?" she asked.

The Pokemon blinked in confusion. _I... I was unconscious? What happened...?_

"Well, I'm Flare," the Vulpix, Flare, said. "Glad to meet you. And who are you? I've never seen you around here before, not that I've been around here for very long either."

"I don't know, Flare," the Pokemon admitted. "All I know is my name and that I am a human."

"What? You're a human?" Flare repeated. "You look like a normal Pikachu to me."

Looking shocked, the Pikachu peered into the water to see a yellow face peering back at her. Her eyes widened in fear. _It's... It's true! I've turned into a Pikachu!_ _...But how did this happen? I don't remember anything..._

"You're... a little odd..." Flare commented. "Are you pulling some kind of trick on me?" _Father said that humans are evil creatures and perished long ago. If she's one, would I have to kill her? Is she working with my father?_

"No, it's the truth!" the Pikachu wailed. "Please, you've got to believe me!"

"You're telling me the truth? How do I know?" Flare muttered. _Can I trust her? I've made plenty of friends who turned out to be in league with my father. Could she be another one? I must be sure._ "All right then. Your name? What's you're name?"

 _My name?_ she thought. _That's right, my name is..._ "Shelly," she replied. "My name is Shelly."

"Hmm..." Flare nodded. _Is that her real name or is it fake? This could be another trap by father. Can I really trust her? There's something about her that tells me that she's honest._ "OK. Well, you don't seem to be a bad Pokemon, at least. Sorry that I doubted you. More and more bad Pokemon have been turning up lately, you see? Many Pokemon have gotten aggressive too. Things have grown somewhat lawless around here..."

Suddenly, Zubat and Koffing snuck up behind Flare. Shelly cried out but was too late. Zubat rammed Flare, sending the Vulpix crashing into Shelly. The Vulpix's treasure fell to the ground.

"Ouch!" Flare cried.

"Well, I do beg your pardon," Koffing said in a mocking-polite voice.

"Hey, why'd you do that?" Flare demanded. _These two are more likely candidates for serving my father than Shelly is._

"Heh-heh-heh!" Zubat laughed. "Can't figure it out?"

"Flare, are you okay?" Shelly asked, only to be ignored.

"We wanted to mess with you! Can't face up to us, can you?!" Zubat taunted.

"W-What?!" Flare cried, shocked. "What do you mean by that?!"

"That's yours, isn't it?" Zubat asked, gesturing a wing towards the stone.

"Yes! That's...!" Flare started.

"Sorry, kiddo! We'll take that!" Zubat laughed. He snatched the stone.

"Aaah!" Flare cried. "Hey, give it back!"

"Whoa-ho-ho!" Koffing laughed. "Not gonna make a move to get that back? What's the matter? Too scared? I didn't expect that you'd be such a big coward!" Turning to Zubat, he said, "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"See you around, chicken!" Zubat laughed. "Heh-heh-heh."

The duo flew past Shelly and Flare, entering a large cave behind them. Shelly and Flare watched them go, looks of anger and fear on their faces.

"...Ohhh... Why couldn't I fight them?!" Flare groaned. "W-What should I do? That's my personal treasure. My mother gave it to me. It means everything to me. If I lose that..." _Father will be able to track me again._ "No! There's no time to waste! I've got to get it back. Hey, can I get you to help me?"

Shelly nodded. "Of course I will, Flare. You helped me after all. Now I'll help you."

"Oh, you will?! You'll help me?" Flare cried. "Th-Thank you! Let's go quickly!" _Without a doubt, she isn't with my father. None of his goons have helped me with something like this in the past. She must be telling the truth._

Shelly and Flare headed toward the large cave that Zubat and Koffing had vanished into moments before.

"What is this place?" Shelly asked, jumping over a small puddle of water. "It's full of water and mud."

"I believe this place is called Beach Cave," Flare explained. "It is one of the many places you can encounter hostile Pokemon at. It is home to many Water-type Pokemon, which is why I try to avoid this place at all costs. Water puts out fire, you know."

"But electricity beats water," Shelly pointed out. "I'll cover for you. Those Water Pokemon stand no chance against me. I'll make them wish they'd never crossed us."

"Thank you so much, Shelly," Flare replied. "Let's get my Relic Fragment back!" _I pray father hasn't tracked me down yet. We must hurry._

Once they entered the dungeon, Shelly looked around.

"Where are they? I don't see them!" she complained.

"They're probably on the bottom floor, in Beach Cave Pit," Flare suggested. "We have to find the staircases to get to the next floor. Attack any enemy we encounter before they can attack."

"Got it! Let's do this!" Shelly cheered.

The duo raced through the first floor in search of the staircase. Flare occasionally went to pick up small golden coins, money called 'poke'.

"Poke is the world's money," Flare explained. "You can save it up to buy useful items on adventures. We could probably spend this to get you an apple or two. You look like you haven't eaten in days."

"I know." Shelly groaned. _I'm starving!_

"We have no items," Flare muttered. "Not good. I wonder what's in these caves. A Reviver Seed would do me some good right about now."

Once they entered the tunnels between rooms, it became very dark. Flare used Ember on a small plant and carried it in her jaws, allowing them to see a bit farther ahead. But it also signaled to enemy Pokemon that they were coming.

As they turned a corner, water splashed on Flare. Surprised, she dropped the plant into a puddle, extinguishing their only source of light.

"Waah! I can't see anything!" the Vulpix cried. More water splashed onto her. "Shelly, help! I'm being attacked!"

"I'm coming!" the Pikachu cried, leaping over her friend. She felt something crackling along her cheeks and the next thing she knew, a blue slug-like Pokemon was being shocked by her electricity. _How'd I do that?! Was it instinct?_

When she landed on the ground, the slug collapsed and vanished. She opened her mouth to speak but Flare cut her off.

"Thank you once again. That was an incredible Thundershock, the first I've ever seen," she complimented.

"Well, I just wanted to save you and then, I was shocking it," Shelly admitted. "What was that thing? Some kind of slug?"

"A Shellos. And with that blue coloring, I'm guessing it's an East Sea form," Flare replied. "The West Sea forms are pink."

"Thanks for the info. Now I'm ready to keep on fighting!" Shelly cried.

They carried on. Further down the tunnel, the encountered a spiky pink thing called a Corsola. Shelly's electric attacks weren't enough to take it down, so the duo tag-teamed to defeat it. After defeating it, they finally reached another room. And it had the stairs. Down they went to the second floor!

"We can only carry one item each like this," Flare said. "I can't fit anything else into my bag since it's full of my belongings. The items in this dungeon may have a lot of useful effects. When you find an item, show me to find out what it does."

Oddly enough, the stairs were right in front of them. Racing down them, Shelly saw a strange black square in the ground with a green arrow on it.

"Flare, what's that thing?" she asked.

"Oh, that's a Wonder Tile," the Vulpix explained. "In many areas, you'll see them. Step on it to heal any changes in your stats."

"Got it!" Shelly said. Seeing a seed, she walked over and picked it up. "Hey, what's this thing?"

"Ah! Careful, that's a Blast Seed!" Flare cautioned. "You can eat a Blast Seed to breathe fire at the target in front of you."

"Cool, I want to breathe fire!" Shelly cried.

"No, you take damage too!" Flare snatched the seed away. "We have to use this when facing enemy Pokemon. If possible, we could save it for our fight against Zubat and Koffing."

"Awww! Fine, we save it," Shelly relented, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry, Shelly," Flare apologized. "But at your current level, 5, this seed is very damaging. It could knock you out in one hit if you're not careful."

"Well... Apology accepted," Shelly replied. "But on one condition: I get to throw it at the gas ball. He'll probably explode!"

"Indeed," Flare said. _Something tells me that she couldn't possibly be working with my father. She's too innocent. Maybe I'll make her my first friend. If so, I'll guard her with my life to ensure that father never hurts her._

Running through a tunnel, they entered another room only to see two enemies.

"Oh man, that's one too many," Shelly whimpered.

"Agreed. Let's get out."

The duo fled.

As they ran, they realized that the two enemies were following them. It was another Corsola and a purple shell with a tongue, Shellder. Racing into another room, they ran for the stairs. Shelly stopped and unleashed Thundershock, defeating Shellder. Then the duo ran down the steps, narrowly avoiding the Corsola.

The next room they were in had two Shellder and 3 Blast Seeds. Beating both of the Shellder with Thundershock and Ember, they went up another tunnel. They finally found the last staircase and went down it.

 _Time to beat Zubat and Koffing,_ Shelly thought, pawing the Blast Seed.

 _Time to get mother's Relic Fragment back,_ Flare thought.

They entered a sandbar surrounded by water and large rocks. Zubat and Koffing were in front of them, backs to them. They were mumbling about something.

"Uh... Hey!" Flare called.

The two thieves turned, realizing that they weren't alone anymore.

"Well, well..." Koffing grunted. "If it isn't our old friend, the big chicken."

"Urk!" Flare stepped backward, only to step forward again. "Give me... Give me back what you stole from me! That's my personal treasure! It means everything to me!" _It's my only means of escape from my father._

"Treasure, you say?" Zubat repeated. "So that thing really is valuable, huh?"

"It could be worth more than we'd hoped for, I'd say," Koffing added. "We ought to try selling it. Who knows? It might get a good price. Whoa-ho-ho! All the more reason not to give it back!"

Flare gasped as a memory hit her. "What?!"

_She was just a young Vulpix with a single white tail. Her mother, a beautiful Ninetales, was resting beside Flare and her siblings. Her father, as usual, was never around to see his children. "Mommy, where's daddy?" Flare asked one day._

" _Your father is very busy. I fear that what he is doing could endanger everything: this world, all Pokemon, us..." Ninetales whispered. "Flare, I want you to have something. It's my personal treasure called a Relic Fragment."_

" _Relic Fragment...?" The young Vulpix looked at the swirling patterns on the stone. "It's so pretty."_

" _Your father gave that to me. When you come of age to leave the nest, I want you to take that with you. I fear your father may use it for evil purposes."_

" _Why?"_

" _I don't know, dear," Ninetales admitted. "I really don't know."_

_Years passed before disaster struck. Ninetales was taken to a giant tower-like structure in order to forfeit her control over the Relic Fragment. Flare followed, not wanting her mother to be all alone. What she saw next was horrifying._

_There was a giant beast with glowing red eyes glaring down at her mother, demanding she hand over her Relic Fragment if she ever wanted to see her family again. Ninetales refused and the beast attacked her. Flare's father stood to the side, watching his wife being beaten. Once it was over, hordes of purple things surrounded Ninetales._

_Her father stepped forward. "I'll ask for the last time, dear. Where is the Relic Fragment I gave you?" he asked._

" _In a place you'll never find it. If you had come to visit more often, you might know where it is," Ninetales hissed. "Why give it to me if you were going to take it back?"_

" _I thought you would do as I ordered," he replied. "I never thought that you'd be so defiant."_

" _Too bad."_

" _Search her," he ordered the purple things. "Find the Relic Fragment. The Sableye who finds it will have the honor of training one of my children."_

_The Sableye instantly searched her. Flare watched in terror before fleeing. The giant thing with red eyes noticed._

_"INTRUDER!" it roared._

" _Flare?!" her father cried. Then it hit him. "Forget searching my wife! Catch my daughter! She must have it! Catch her!"_

_Flare ran as fast as she could. Her dying mother started weaving a spell, the tips of her tails glowing. The giant thing noticed and attacked again, but that didn't stop her. A portal ripped open in front of Flare and she fell, screaming, into it._

_The portal closed and her tails stopped glowing. "You little wench!" her father roared, tearing Ninetales' throat out._

" _Have a nice trip, dear Flare," Ninetales gasped softly. "You'll never find her and you know why, dear."_

_Her father roared in anger._

"If you want it back that badly..." Zubat started. "Come and get it! Heh-heh-heh!"

And the battle started!

Shelly use Growl just before the thieves got too close. Once they were within range, Flare unleashed Ember. It hurt Koffing but didn't take him out. He used Poison Gas on Shelly, poisoning her. Zubat struck hard.

 _Drat!_ Flare thought. _I've got nothing to get rid of the poison! Shelly, you'll have to hang in there for a bit longer._

Shelly attacked with Thundershock. Zubat used Leech Life, regaining HP while Koffing tackled Flare. Flare used Ember, knocking Koffing under half his HP. Shelly smirked as she ate the Blast Seed, blowing fire at Koffing. He was down, leaving Zubat all alone. With an Ember, Zubat was down too.

The duo was on the ground, beaten.

"Owowow..." Koffing groaned.

"Ugh..." Zubat whimpered. "...We got roughed up..."

Once they got back up, Koffing coughed before speaking. "B-Blast it... How'd we get wiped out by wimps like them?"

"Bah!" Zubat spat angrily. "Here you go. Take it, then!"

He tossed them the Relic Fragment.

"Whoa-ho!" Koffing laughed. "Don't think you're so awesome. Your victory was a fluke!"

"Yeah, you just remember that!" Zubat agreed. The duo fled.

"Oh! It's my Relic Fragment!" Flare cried, picking up the stone and hugging it to her chest. "Am I ever glad... I actually did manage to get it back... It's only because you agreed to help me, Shelly." Flare was tearing up a bit. "Thank you, Shelly!"

The duo left the dungeon in high spirits.

Once they were back on the beach, Flare faced Shelly once more. "Thank you very much!"

Shelly smiled. _...I only helped because I happened to be there...Was that the right thing to do? I guess so. This Pokemon is clearly grateful. It's nice to be appreciated._

Flare stepped forward and put the Relic Fragment in front of Shelly. "Here's what they stole. My mother called it a Relic Fragment. It's my one treasure and my last gift from my mother."

Reaching forward with a single paw, Shelly touched the stone. Then she saw a flash of light. _What's that?_ Another flash. _Oh man, I feel dizzy..._ A third flash. _What's happening to me?_ Darkness and then a strip of light. Suddenly she was back in Beach Cave, fighting Zubat and Koffing. After a moment, the image vanished in a flash. _What as that? I relived the battle with Zubat and Koffing. How did that happen?_ Shaking off the dizziness, she looked at Flare and started listening to her again.

"You see, I've always liked legends and lore... I always get so excited when I hear tales of the past! Don't you feel the same way? Hidden troves full of treasure and strange relics, mysteries just begging to be solved..."

Shelly shrugged. "Maybe. I can't remember though. I actually can't remember anything except my name and that I'm human. I wonder why."

"Sorry, I keep forgetting that." Flare turned to look at the sea. "...Uncharted territories veiled in darkness and new lands just waiting to be discovered! Such places must be full of unimaginable gold and treasure. And history! Wouldn't it be amazing to make historic discoveries?"

"Yeah, it would be amazing," Shelly said. _Maybe I can find out who I really am that way, through history._

Flare turned back to Shelly. "That's what I always dream of. It's all exciting to me. So one day...my mother gave me my Relic Fragment. I admit that it first looked like a normal rock but take a closer look." Both stepped closer, looking at the designs on its surface. "See? That inscription forms a strange pattern, doesn't it?"

 _It's true. There is a strange inscription,_ Shelly thought. _I've never seen a pattern like this._

"There must be some significance to this pattern," Flare continued. "This Relic Fragment must be the key to legendary places. To areas where precious treasure lies! At least that's the feeling I get. Mother must've had that feeling too." _Father might've as well. Is that why he wanted it?_

"Why don't you ask your mother about the pattern?" Shelly asked.

Flare hung her head. "I can't. I don't know where she is anymore. I don't even think mother's alive anymore." She sniffed.

"What?! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up! I'm sorry!" Shelly cried.

"No, it's okay. I'm used to it now. It happened a while ago," Flare explained. "That's why I want to join an exploration team." The sun was nearly set. "This fragment must fit into something...somewhere! I want to discover where that is. I want to solve the mystery of my Relic Fragment! I also want to know if my mother is all right." _I doubt she is with father around. Knowing him, he killed her._

"An exploration...team?" Shelly repeated, confused.

"Earlier, I tried joining an Exploration Team as an apprentice...but I chickened out." Flare whimpered. "What about you, Shelly? What are you going to do now? You lost your memory. And you somehow transformed into a Pokemon...Do you have anywhere to go and stay after this?"

"No, I don't," Shelly replied, hanging her head. _...I have no memory so how could I have a place to stay? Maybe I'll just sleep on the beach..._

"Can I ask a big favor of you, then?" Flare asked.

"Sure!"

"Would you be willing to form an exploration team with me? After what we did in Beach Cave, I'm convinced that I can form an effective exploration team with you, Shelly," Flare said. "So will you? Please?"

 _Whoa! What should I do?_ Shelly thought, freaking out. _I'm getting recruited out of the blue! I don't even know what an exploration team is... What should I do? Should I join this Pokemon and form an exploration team?_

Flare waited patiently. _If you're not my father's spy, then an exploration team is my only option. Father can't track me if I'm in a large group or he would use you against me. Please say yes._

Shelly nodded. "Sure, let's do it." _It's true, I don have nowhere to go...I don't have any clue what I should do next. I guess it wouldn't hurt to team up with Flare for now. Maybe I'll eventually discover who or what I am by hanging out with this Pokemon. Ok! That's settled!_

"Yes? Really?!" Flare cried. "You'll form an exploration team with me? Yes! Thank you!" She started jumping around happily. "We're going to be a great combination! Let's make this work!"

The Vulpix looked out at the sea.

"First, we should go to Wigglytuff's place and sign up as apprentices. That's where we need to train to become a first-rate exploration team." She looked at Shelly with determination. "I'm sure the training will be very tough...But let's give it our best, Shelly!"

The duo clapped paws.

And so...Flare and Shelly...formed an exploration team. This turned out to be...their very first step into...many fantastic realms of adventure that awaited their arrival.


	2. Wigglytuff's Guild

Flare and Shelly stood before the grate on top of the hill.

"This is Wigglytuff's Guild," Flare explained. The stars were twinkling above. "To form an exploration team, you need to register your team here. Then you have to train until you become a first-rate exploration team."

"It must be tough," Shelly muttered.

Stepping closer, she shivered. "U-um..." Flare whimpered. "Isn't there something just a little odd about this place?" She shook her fear off. "No...! I've got Shelly with me this time. I have to be brave." _If I'm not, I'll never fully escape my father...ever! I need to do this, for myself and for Shelly._

She stepped onto the grate.

"Pokemon detected!" the voice cried again, spooking the Vulpix. "Pokemon detected!"

"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?" the other voice demanded.

"The footprint is Vulpix's! The footprint is Vulpix's!"

"AAAH!" Flare cried. She forced herself to stay on the grate. "N-no. I have to be strong. Don't run away..."

"...You may ENTER!" the second voice roared. "Someone's with you! So get that stranger to stand up THERE!"

Flare hopped off the grate, relieved. _That was nerve wracking. I was afraid for nothing._ Turning to Shelly, she sighed. "They probably meant you, Shelly. They said to stand up there." She pointed to the grate. "Don't worry. I'm right here if you need me."

 _...There's a grate covering the hole... It's made so that no one can fall through... Still, it's really strange... It looks like it will tickle my feet, or..._ Shelly gulped, afraid. "This is just too creepy..." she muttered.

"Hey, you! Stranger!" the second voice called. "Get on the GRATE!"

Scared, Shelly jumped onto the grate. _This better be a good idea..._

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!" the first voice cried again, making Shelly's fur stand on end.

"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?"

"The footprint is..." The first voice paused. "The footprint is... Um... U-um..."

"What's the matter?! Sentry!" the second voice yelled. "Sentry?! What's wrong, Sentry Diglett?"

"Umm... Er..." the first voice, Diglett, muttered. Underground, in a tunnel with roots and vines in it, Diglett whimpered. "Umm... The footprint is... Maybe Pikachu's! Maybe Pikachu's!"

"What?! MAYBE?!" the second voice bellowed.

"B-but..." Diglett started, sweating nervously. "It's not a footprint you normally see around here... What reason would a Pikachu have to come here?"

"UGH! That's pretty crummy!" the second voice barked. "Checking the footprints of visiting Pokemon... That's your job, ISN'T it, Diglett?"

The sweating worsened. "Yes, but...I don't know what I don't know!" Diglett cried. "I only know so much and this isn't something I know!"

Back up on the grate, the duo sighed.

"What?" Flare muttered. "Are they arguing?"

"I guess so. Wonder why?" Shelly asked. "Is it about us?"

"...Sorry to make you WAIT!" the second voice called. "Well, it's TRUE that you don't see many Pikachu in these parts...but you don't SEEM to be bad... OK, good enough! ENTER!"

The ground shook momentarily.

"Yikes!" Flare cried. "I'm so nervous! So excited! But I'm glad we're finally allowed in. My heart's pounding, though... Shelly, let's go!"

The duo entered the tent.

"Th-there's a hatch that leads underground here!" Flare gasped, pointing to the ladder sticking out of the hole in the ground. "Amazing! Where does it lead?"

"There are even arrows." Shelly giggled. "Let's go! I bet it goes somewhere safe. With those arrows, bad Pokemon can just come in whenever they want to, right?"

"Please don't jinx us, Shelly," Flare begged.

They descended the ladder.

They reached a big room filled with Pokemon. Two boards were on each side of the ladder, facing the opposite wall. Pokemon were in little groups, talking or gathered around the boards. It had a kind of cozy, family feel to it.

Flare felt safer this way. _I haven't felt like this since I was sent here._

"Wow!" she cried as they stepped further into the room. "So this is Wigglytuff's Guild! So many Pokemon! I wonder if they're all on exploration teams?"

"Maybe, Flare," Shelly replied. "Or maybe they're just Pokemon asking for help from the exploration teams. Shouldn't an exploration team be really busy?"

"Excuse me!" a voice called. The duo turned to see a colorful bird Pokemon with a musical note-shaped head. A Chatot! He hopped toward them. "It was you two that just came in, right?"

"Y-yes!" Flare nodded.

"Yep, that's us!" Shelly added. "Who are you, birdie?"

"Shelly!" Flare hissed, hitting her. "Be nice to him!"

"I'm Chatot! I'm the Pokemon in the know around these parts!" Chatot said. "I'm the Guildmaster Wigglytuff's right-hand Pokemon! Now, shoo! Leave the premises! We have no time for salespeople or silly surveys!" He flapped his wings toward the ladder. "Off you go, if you please!"

"What?! You've got it all wrong!" Shelly protested.

"N-no! That's not why we're here!" Flare explained. "We want to form an exploration team... That's why we came. We want to be trained as an exploration team." _I also want protection from my father, but you don't need to know that._

Chatot looked shocked. "Wh-what?! Exploration team? It's rare to see a kid like this want to apprentice at the guild. Especially given how hard our training is! Surely the steady stream of Pokemon that run away from our rigorous training proves how true that is!"

"Excuse me?" Flare was confused. "Is the exploration team training that severe?"

"Do you have to take a survival test or something?" Shelly asked. "We already did that at Beach Cave, birdie."

"What?!" Chatot was shocked again. "Well...no. No no no! It's not true in the slightest! Our training program for exploration teams is as easy as can be! Well, well, well!" Chatot was laughing now. "I wish you had told me up front that you wanted to be an exploration team! Heee-heeeee!"

The duo sighed and looked at one another. "His attitude suddenly changed, didn't it...?" Flare muttered.

"Yeah, you think?" Shelly agreed. "He's a total fruit!"

Getting over his laughing fit, Chatot cleared his throat. "OK! Let's get your team signed up right away. Follow me!" He hopped toward the ladder, only to realize that the duo wasn't following. "Oh, anything wrong? Come on! Over here! Quickly, please!"

They followed him down the stairs.

Once they reached the next floor, Chatot spoke again. "This is the guild's second underground floor. This is mainly where the apprentices work. Team registration is this way. Come along, please."

He hopped toward a door with an odd swirl mark on it. Flare ignored that and ran toward the large window beside it. "Wow! We're two floors under the ground and you can still see outside!" Flare cried.

Chatot huffed. "Oh, please! Hush now! The guild's built into the side of a cliff. It's only natural that you'd be able to see outside."

"Oh," Flare muttered.

"She was just surprised," Shelly grumbled. "You shouldn't be so mean to her, birdie."

Ignoring Shelly, Chatot pointed to the door. "Now, here we are at Guildmaster Wigglytuff's chamber. On no account...I repeat, on no account should you be discourteous to our Guildmaster." Turning to the door, he called, "Guildmaster! It's Chatot! I'm coming in!"

They entered the room. A large pink Pokemon had its back turned to them as they entered.

"Guildmaster!" Chatot called. "I present to you two Pokemon who wish to join our guild as apprentices."

The pink Pokemon stayed silent.

"Guildmaster..." Chatot started, sounding uneasy. "...Um... Guildmaster?"

An ear twitched and suddenly, the pink Pokemon twirled around. It was Wigglytuff! "Hiya!" he cried. "I'm Wigglytuff! I'm the guild's Guildmaster! You want to form an exploration team? Then let's go for it! First we must register your exploration team's name! So tell me your team's name?"

"Oh! Our team's name?" Flare said, panicking. "We didn't think of that... So, what do you think would be a good name for us, Shelly?"

 _A name...for our exploration team? That's a big decision,_ Shelly thought, tugging on one ear. _Maybe..._ She looked outside to see moonlight streaming through the tiny window. It made her and Flare's fur turn silver. "How about Team Moonlight?"

"...Moonlight?! Team Moonlight!" Flare cried. She nodded. "Yeah... That's a good name! It suits us!"

"All settled, then!" Wigglytuff cheered. "I'll register your team as Moonlight. Registering! Registering! All registered... YOOM...TAH! Congratulations! From now on, you're an official exploration team! I present you with this commemoration." He stepped forward and set down a gold box.

"An Exploration Team Kit?" Flare asked.

"Yup! It's what every exploration team needs," Wigglytuff said. "Quick, open it up!"

The duo stepped forward and opened the box up. Inside, there was an Explorer Badge, a Wonder Map, and a Treasure Bag.

"Yeah! There are all sorts of great items in here!" Flare cried.

"What's so special about a piece of plastic, a scrap of paper, and a leather bag?" Shelly asked.

"That's your Explorer Badge! It's your official team identification!" Wigglytuff explained. "And there's the Wonder Map, which is a wonder of convenience! Finally, there's a Treasure Bag. It lets you carry items you find in dungeons. Your successes as an exploration team can lead to bigger and bigger space for your Treasure Bag. It's a very wonderful bag! Have a peek inside your Treasure Bag."

Flare looked into the Treasure Bag. Inside, there was a Joy Ribbon and a Violet Bow.

"Wow! They sure are pretty!" Shelly commented.

"Those items are special," Wigglytuff pointed out. "I'm sure they will help you on your adventures!"

"Th-Thank you!" Flare said, smiling. "We'll do our best!"

"Our absolute best!" Shelly cried, placing a paw on her chest.

"Yup. But you're only apprenticing right now. So do your best...to train!" Wigglytuff said.

"We will!" Flare agreed.

"We promise!" Shelly cried.

The Vulpix looked at her Pikachu partner. "Let's always do our best, Shelly," she suggested.

"Of course, Flare! What else could we do? Our worst?" The Pikachu laughed.

The two clapped paws once again.

 _I did it. I'm finally in a place where father and that thing could never get me at. I'm happy that I have a friend. Shelly, I'll always protect you. I promise, Shelly. Father will never lay his paws on you, never!_ Flare vowed.

"Chatot, why don't you introduce our new friends to the other apprentices and teams?" Wigglytuff suggested.

"O-of course, Guildmaster!" Chatot hopped back to the door, Team Moonlight following after him. Spotting a big purple Pokemon, Loudred, he called, "Loudred! Call everyone to the main room in front of Guildmaster Wigglytuff's chambers!"

"Understood!" Standing under the stairs, he shouted, "EVERYBODY! Chatot says to get DOWN here to meet some NEW friends! HURRY UP!"

Flare and Shelly covered their ears, ringing from how loud his voice was. Chatot covered his ears with his wings.

"Owowow!" Shelly whined. "That was really loud!"

"I know what you mean," Flare agreed.

"And we have to put up with that everyday, you two," Chatot pointed out. "You better be prepared for your morning wake-up call."

"Oh my god, please say he's not waking us up!" Shelly begged. Chatot stayed silent. "I'm gonna be deaf sooner than I thought."

"I agree with you, Shelly," the Vulpix whimpered.

Soon, a whole horde of Pokemon came in from upstairs and from the two tunnels on either side of the main room. Once Chatot assumed everyone was assembled, he shouted for silence. It was Loudred who ended up silencing everybody with a loud yell.

"Everybody, please settle down. We have two new apprentices that we want you all to meet. Introduce yourselves in a neat and orderly fashion," Chatot ordered.

After a bit of bickering, Shelly and Flare decided to introduce themselves first. "I'm Shelly and this is my partner, Flare. We have recently formed Team Moonlight. We want to become a first-rate exploration team!" Shelly fell silent.

"Neither of us are from around here, so if anyone can help us out around here, we'll appreciate the help," Flare added.

"Well, who's up next?" Chatot asked.

Loudred stepped forward. "Hey, I'm Loudred. I'm a fellow apprentice and guild alarm clock."

Then came Diglett, popping up from the ground. "I'm Diglett, fellow apprentice and guild sentry. It's nice to meet you."

Then it looked like three Digletts came up together. "We are Dugtrio, Diglett's father. We switch the posts on the Outlaw and Job Bulletin Boards."

Then a blue frog with black and purple paws spoke. "Meh-heh-heh. I'm Croagunk. You'll find me over there, perfecting my shop." He pointed to a strange frog-like stone structure to their left.

Then a wind-chime thing came up. "I'm Chimecho, the guild's cook. I'm also the owner of Chimecho Assembly. It's a pleasure to meet you."

A beaver came up alongside a walking sunflower. "I'm Bidoof and this is Sunflora. We're fellow apprentices, yup yup. I hope we can be friends."

Then a lobster came up. "Hey hey! The name's Corphish, fellow guild apprentice."

Then a bunny, a bird, and a walking rose stood before them. "Hey, we're also apprentices. I'm Mimi, this is Feather, and that's Rose."

Another Pikachu, this one a male, strode forward. "Hey there, ladies. My name's Sparks and I'm part of the solo Team Snow. I hope we can be on good terms, especially you." He flashed a smile at Shelly. _Man, does she look cute!_

 _Man, does he look weird!_ Shelly thought. "Maybe later, Sparks," she muttered.

"Just move along so we can see the others," Flare warned, fur prickling.

"Hey, just watch it!" Sparks said. "What's the matter? Jealous that I'm flirting with your friend?"

"Just move it, Sparks," she growled. The Pikachu leaped away. "He and I aren't on very good terms, Shelly. Just ignore him."

"You know him?" Shelly asked.

"Yes, unfortunately."

An Eevee and a Totodile came forward next. The Eevee had a red ribbon around her neck. "Hi! I'm Kit and this is Sharptooth. We're part of Team Raindrop and we're apprentices, too!" the Eevee chirped, smiling.

"As long as you don't upset Kit, we'll get along just fine," Sharptooth grumbled.

"Overprotective much?" Shelly muttered as the duo vanished.

A cat, a pink dog, and a blue mouse came up next. "Hey, we're Team Thief. I'm Meowth, nicknamed 'Cat Burglar', this is Snubbull, and this is Marill. Might want to keep your valuables in a safe spot while we're around," the cat warned. Shelly noticed that he wore a black glove with a red T on his left paw.

Suddenly, a second cat jumped forward and threw her arms around Meowth's neck. "Ooh, you forgot about me again!" she whined. A purple ribbon was wrapped around her tail.

"Sorry, sweetie," Meowth chuckled. "This is my girlfriend, Meowsy. Do anything to hurt her and you're my new scratching post."

"Meeeow!" Meowsy purred. The four stepped away.

"That was...scary," Flare whimpered.

"You got that right, Flare. Talk about possessive."

A big pink thing and a gray cat stepped up next. "I'm Chansey, the guild's nurse. And this is my apprentice, Glameow. If you have any injuries once you return from missions, just drop by my room and we'll get you fixed up. Glameow, why don't you say something to our new friends?"

The gray cat looked up. "Hi... I'm still in training to be a nurse. Um, I'll be in Chansey's room if you need me." She raced down the hall to the right, vanishing into a room.

"Poor thing, still so shy," Chansey muttered. "Good luck with your training, dears!" Chansey quickly followed after her apprentice.

A large black and white dog came up next. Following her was a brown lizard wearing a skull and a big brown bird. "Hey, we're Team Yena. We're graduates, unlike you newbies. I'm Yena, that's Bone, and that's Fear. Stay out of our way and we'll stay out of yours," the Mightyena barked.

"Heh heh! You're so mean to the new kids, boss!" Fear, a Fearow, laughed. "Maybe if you were nicer, we'd get more recruits for our team!"

"Then we'd be hit with loads of weakling jobs," Bone, a Cubone, muttered. The trio stepped back.

A weasel stepped up next, looking tired. "I'm Linoone, the guild's tracker. You won't see me much, so don't bother looking for me."

"No duh, you lazy rat!" Yena hissed. "Always waits until the last second to get things done except in emergencies!"

Three dogs with curled horns and forked tails came up next. "We're Team Houndoom, also graduates. I'm Doom, that's Fang, and his little brother Claw. If you need any help in missions, you can come looking for us."

A bat, a black dog, and a blue ghost came next. "We are Team Nightshade, also graduates. I'm Shadow," the Zubat said. "They are Umbreon and Misdreavus. We do missions at night. If you have questions, look for us."

"Always shut the door to our room, though," the Umbreon added.

Shelly noticed that he had bandages on his right back leg and across his left eye. _I wonder what happened to him. Oh!_ She saw that the leader, Shadow, had shredded wings and scars on his chest. Misdreavus had light blue beads around her neck instead of red. _They're sure one oddball group._

A green praying mantis and a blue snake-like dragon were up next. "I'm Salazar and this is Fade. We are also apprentices, part of Team Fading Blade," the bug, a Scyther, said.

Fade, a Dratini, nodded. "I'm please to meet you..." she said softly. Then she looked away, embarrassed.

Finally, a red and yellow fox and another Glaceon came up. "Hey, we're Team Frostburn!" the red fox, a Flareon, said. "I'm Molt and this is my brother, Freeze. Flare, I'm glad you finally decided to join up!"

"Uh, yeah. I'm glad, too." Flare looked away, blushing.

Shelly giggled and nudged her. "What's with you?" she asked, smirking. "Is he your boyfriend or something?"

"No, of course not!" Flare hissed. "He just this Pokemon I met when I first came here! He's been following me around for a while now, that's all. We're just friends!"

Freeze sighed. "Molt, let's go. I'm tired after our training today," he said, not looking at the two new apprentices.

"Oh, okay! Bye Flare!" The duo left, heading for their room.

"And the others: Team Storm Pulse, Team Gemstone, Team Crimson, and Team Fire Flower are on long-term missions," Chatot said. "You can meet them, along with the citizens of Treasure Town, tomorrow. Team Moonlight, come with me. There are two more Pokemon you need to meet."

Going down the hallway and stopping in front of Chansey's room, he entered. Sitting on one of the beds was a tiny Pichu snacking on an Oran Berry.

"This is Sweet-Tooth, another apprentice. She enjoys sweets. Now, come along. Outside we go!"

Once they exited the tent, they stood at the top of the stairs. Chatot pointed to a large green Pokemon with a leafy tail.

"Scythe, up here!" he called.

The creature, Scythe, looked up. He was chewing on a blade of wheat grass and had dark green circles around his eyes. "What is it now, Chatot?" he asked. "I haven't seen anything suspicious today."

"We have two new apprentices and I'm introducing you to them be. Be nice and introduce yourself!" Chatot reprimanded.

"Yes, sir." Scythe looked up, standing a bit straighter against the boulder he was leaning against. "I'm Scythe the Sceptile, guard of the guild. I have insomnia, so I can't sleep. I like wheat grass."

"We can tell," Shelly muttered.

"I think I saw you when I went down to the beach today," Flare remembered. "Was that you?"

"Yeah, it probably was. How many Sceptile have you seen wandering these parts?" Scythe asked.

"None." The Vulpix sighed. "Sorry, I was just curious."

"Oh, hush now, Scythe!" Chatot barked before the Grass-type could speak again. "I believe it is time to go back inside and get some rest. Good night, Scythe!"

"I don't sleep! But good night to you, too!" Scythe called. He returned to leaning against the boulder, watching for trouble.

After returning to the main room, Chatot led them down a long hallway to the left of the ladder.

"This is your room!" he said.

The duo leaped onto the beds, laughing.

"Great! We get beds!" Flare cheered. _No more sleeping on the beach._

"So soft, so warm. I think I'm in heaven." Shelly sighed, snuggling into her bed. "I love this place already, Flare."

"You will live here while you work for us," Chatot explained. "Things will start getting busy for you tomorrow! So rise early and start living up to our code! Don't stay up late. Get to sleep early tonight! That is all."

Chatot left.

A full moon was shining through the window that night.

"...Oh, are you still awake, Shelly?" the Vulpix muttered.

"Yeah. Why?" Shelly asked.

"My heart's been racing all day today over every little thing..." Flare explained softly. "But I'm glad I finally made myself come here. I thought Wigglytuff would be scary, but he seems pretty friendly."

"He looked creepy to me," Shelly grumbled, rolling over.

"We're going to be experiencing all sorts of things starting tomorrow, but I'm not very scared," Flare admitted. "In fact, it's the other way around. I'm super excited about the adventures we'll face!"

"I'm feeling super sleepy." Shelly groaned. "Could you shut up and go to bed already?"

"I'm feeling a bit sleepy, too..." Flare muttered.

"Finally! Shut it and go to sleep, Flare!" Shelly hissed.

"Shelly, let's give it our all tomorrow."

"Sure, whatever. Go to bed."

"OK, Shelly. Good night," Flare said.

"Good night, Flare," Shelly replied.

Flare smiled. _I've haven't had anyone tell me good night since my mother died. I'm glad Shelly told me that. Thank you, Shelly, for everything._ She fell asleep.

Shelly, on the other hand, couldn't sleep yet.

 _Um... Now I'm suddenly apprenticing at the guild... I gotta admit, it's pretty exciting to be in an exploration team. And it's fun to be friends with Flare...but first things first... Who am I? How did I turn into a Pokemon? How did I end up unconscious on that beach?_ Shelly yawned. _I'm feeling sleepy too... Well, thinking about it won't help right now. I'd better focus on the guild's work for now... If I do that, well, everything should become clear eventually... I'll surely get to the bottom of this in time._

Then, she fell asleep too.

_Elsewhere..._

Flare's father snarled, pacing around his empty cave. He had privately buried his mate after his master had disappeared, mourning her loss. His four remaining children were currently being trained by the Sableye. His daughters, Amaui and Anela, were being trained in defense while his sons, Zephyr and Yottoko, were being trained in offense.

His wife's younger sister was here, screaming at him. She looked lovely to the eye but she had a sharp tongue and was defiant. _Just like her sister,_ he lamented. How terrible it had been that he had to kill her, all on account of her not being an obedient wife and obeying his orders. He never asked for much from her: a massage, pleasure, children, the Relic Fragment.

He growled, growing impatient of the younger Ninetale's complaints. Twirling around, he ripped his claws across her face.

"SILENCE!" he roared. "Why are you so much like your sister?! You defiant, whiny little wench!"

She fell silent. It didn't take long to realize what he had done. Leaving scars across a female Ninetale's face was a sign of exile from her family. Upon realizing this, he smiled.

"Well, I can't risk you taking the children and running away from me, can I?" he asked, smirking. "You are now _exiled_ from _my_ family!"

She was scared. "Fine!" she shouted. "I never wanted a part of this anyway, _murderer_!" She fled from the cave, crying. An exiled Ninetale's not only lost their family but their name, too. Her old name was hers no longer. "From now on, I am called Scarface."

She raced across the paralyzed landscape, intent on getting as far away from him as she could.

Once she was nothing more than a speck in the distance, a voice broke through the male Ninetales' thought. "Primal Ninetales, was that such a wise decision? If you let her go free, she could locate your daughter and hide her from you."

"She's already hidden thanks to my wife's Relic Fragment," Primal Ninetales countered. 'What are _you_ doing here anyway?" He glanced at the shadow on the floor. "Ah, I see you've evolved since last time we met. Come to challenge me to another match?"

"No, that won't do," the voice said. A single glowing red eye stared at the Ninetales. "My position was boosted to an even higher level, Primal Ninetales. The command of the Sableye hordes has been passed on to me."

"What?! When?" he demanded. "Why wasn't I informed? What of my position?"

"You and I are of the same rank now, Primal Ninetales," the voice replied. "Are you afraid of being thrown aside by our master in exchange for me?"

"Yeah, right! Master would _never_ throw me aside!" Primal Ninetales yelled. "It was I who found master the Relic Fragment and I who delivered it to him!"

"But it was your daughter who stole it once again, correct?"

Primal Ninetales hung his head. "Just get out of my den. I don't want anyone to disturb me again." He walked to his rocky nest and rested on it, missing the warmth of his dead mate.

"Are you in mourning now, Primal Ninetales?"

"Get out."

"...That will do." The red eye vanished, signaling the Pokemon's retreat.

Primal Ninetales groaned, closing his eyes. "Why me? Why him? Why everything?" _I'll find a way of getting that Relic Fragment back, no matter what. My position will not be jeopardized by a ghost and a child! Never!_


	3. Spoink's Missing Pearl

"Hey! Hey there! Rise and shine!"

 _Ugh!_ Shelly thought. _My head is pounding! Whoever it is isn't talking. It's not Diglett who's blasting my eardrums._

"Why are you still ASLEEP?!" Loudred bellowed. "WAKE UP!"

 _Ugh!_ Shelly thought.

"M-my poor ears..." Flare moaned.

Loudred stomped his foot in annoyance. "C'mon! Snap OUT of it! If you're late for our morning briefing, you'll be SORRY! So MOVE it! Guildmaster Wigglytuff has got a BIG temper! If you make him lose it..." Loudred turned away. "YOWEEE! That would be one very scary scene! I've got goose bumps just thinking about it! YEESH!" Turning back to the duo, he said, "So ANYWAY... I'm not about to get in trouble because you rookies got up LATE! SO GET IT IN GEAR!"

He walked away to wake up the others.

"Urk! My ears are still ringing..." the Vulpix complained, rubbing her ears. "What did he say? Something about getting ready?"

"I think so." Shelly whimpered. "But why? It's not like something important is happening here at the guild."

Then it hit them. Bolting upright, the duo looked at each other in shock.

"What?!" Flare started. "Oh yeah! We signed up as apprentices at Wigglytuff's Guild, that's right."

"I forgot about that," Shelly admitted.

"But that means..." Shock was on Flare's face. "WAAAAH! We totally overslept! We've got to hurry, Shelly!"

Grabbing her groaning teammate's paw, they ran out into the main room. Once they entered the room, every Pokemon was staring at them.

"You're LATE, rookies!" Loudred yelled.

"Hush!" Chatot scolded. "Your voice is ridiculously loud!"

"Humph..." Loudred huffed.

"You're not so quiet yourself, Chatot," Umbreon grumbled.

"I agree," said a red lizard with a red bow around her backward-facing horn. Her flame-tipped tail thrashed slightly. It was a Charmeleon.

"Everyone seems to be present," Chatot muttered after counting. "Very well. Let us conduct our morning address. Guildmaster! The guild is in full attendance!"

The door to Wigglytuff's chambers opened and Wigglytuff hopped out.

"Thank you, Guildmaster!" Chatot said. "Please address the crew."

"Zzzz... Zzzz... Snorfle... Zzz..." Wigglytuff was asleep!

"Psst...! Guildmaster Wigglytuff never ceases to amaze me!" a green armored lizard whispered to the Charmeleon. He was wearing a blue bowtie. It was a Larvitar.

"Yeah, you got that right!" Sparks chuckled.

"Still, looks like he's wide awake," Claw pointed out, only to be silenced by his older brother.

"Eek! His eyes are wide open! But he's fast asleep!" Sunflora whispered.

Chatot groaned, rubbing his forehead with a wing. "Thank you, sir! We all value your...words of wisdom!"

"Words of wisdom? More like words of sleep-dom!" Sparks muttered.

"OK, Pokemon! Take our Guildmaster's words of wisdom to heart!" Chatot cried. "Finally, let's not forget our morning cheers! All together now!"

"A ONE, A TWO... A ONE-TWO-THREE!" everybody cried. "ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY! THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay, Pokemon! Get to work! Teams Fire Flower, Gemstone, Crimson, and Storm Pulse, please stay behind to meet the new apprentices. But unfortunately, Team Shocker, Team Aqua, and a few other teams are still on long-term missions and won't return for a few days," Chatot ordered.

"HOORAY!" the Pokemon cheered, dispersing.

"So, these are the teams that were gone last night?" Shelly asked.

"Indeed, we are!" the Charmeleon replied. "I'm Daisy, leader of Team Gemstone. This is Tar the Larvitar and Luna the Pichu. We're fellow apprentices, though we'll be graduating soon."

A blue penguin, a blue dog, and a light blue fox stepped forward. "I'm Pippy, leader of Team Storm Pulse. He's Boulder the Riolu and she's Icy the Glaceon. I hope we can get along nicely. We're apprentices too, you know."

A cream cat came forward. He was alone. "I'm Persia, leader of Team Crimson. You don't need to know who my partners are because I never keep the same partner for too long, making it pointless to introduce partner after partner to new kids like you."

A pink cat and a male Vulpix came up last. Shelly saw that this Vulpix was different from Flare immediately. He had black paws and red eyes. "I'm Kitty and this is my partner, Raven. We're Team Fire Flower and are apprentices, too."

"Just don't bug us too much, okay?" Raven growled.

"Okay. Sure," Shelly agreed. "That guy needs anger management."

"I agree, Shelly." Flare nodded, watching the four teams vanish.

Just as Flare and Shelly took a step forward, Chatot remembered something. "Hey, you shouldn't just be wandering around there. You two come here." He hopped toward the stairs.

The duo followed. They reached the room with the two boards and stood before the board on the right once you get off the ladder.

"You're just beginners," Chatot stated. "We'll have you start off with this assignment." He pointed to the board in front of them. "This is the Job Bulletin Board. Pokemon from various regions post job requests here. You're aware that bad Pokemon are cropping up in greater numbers, right?"

"Yup. Because the flow of time is getting messed up. It's wreaking havoc, right? Which is why lots of bad Pokemon are appearing," Flare agreed.

Shelly simply nodded, not understanding. _The flow of time is getting messed up? Time? As in hours and minutes? Do they mean something has gone wrong with time here? And, because of that, more and more bad Pokemon are popping up? What's going on here?!_

"Precisely," Chatot answered. "Time getting out of whack has caused an outbreak of bad Pokemon. Perhaps because of all that...we have noticed an increase in the number of jobs. In addition...and it's unknown if this is because of time's influence...there has also been a mass outbreak of...mystery dungeons."

 _Mystery dungeons?!_ Shelly thought.

"So, Shelly!" Flare said, looking at her friend. "You know how we got my Relic Fragment back yesterday? The place where we found it was a mystery dungeon. A mystery dungeon changes each time you go into it. There's a different layout and different items each time you enter! If you faint in a dungeon, you lose all your money. You can even lose half your items or more...Finally, you get kicked right out. They're very strange places. But every time you go inside one, there are always new things to discover! They really are fantastic places to go exploring!" _I'm so glad mother told me about these._

Chatot smiled. "Well! You're quite informed, aren't you? This makes things much easier to explain! Jobs all take place in mystery dungeons. So...let's look for a job that you should perform!" After searching for a minute, he plucked one off the board. "Ah, yes. Maybe this will do?"

"Oh, really? Let's read it!" Flare suggested. She read it aloud.

_"Hello! My name is Spoink! An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession. My precious pearl! That pearl is life itself...to me! I just can't seem to settle down if that pearl isn't in its proper place atop my head! But I've heard my pearl has been sighted! It's said to be on a rocky bluff. But this bluff is reported to be extremely unsafe. I could never go somewhere so frightening! Oh, friendly readers! Would you be so kind as to go to the bluff and get my pearl? I beg your help, exploration team members! From Spoink."_

"That was a long letter," Shelly said.

"Wait a second..." Flare muttered. "We're only supposed to fetch an item that someone dropped? I would rather do something that is more of an adventure... I'd rather look for treasure or explore unknown places. Things like that!"

"Hush!" Chatot cawed.

"Yikes!" Flare yelped.

"Sparks was right! You are loud," Shelly grumbled.

"It's important that you rookies pay your dues!" Chatot explained. "Now pay attention! I'll repeat the warnings again to make sure they stick! You'll be forced out of a dungeon and sent back here if either of you faints. You'll lose all your money! And you could lose half your items or more. You'd best be careful!" Taking a deep breath, Chatot relaxed a little. "If you've understood all that, I suggest you get on with that job."

"Hmm..." Flare groaned.

"All right! We'll do it!" Shelly barked.

They left for the dungeon's entrance.

"This must be the bluff's entrance..." the Vulpix muttered as they reached the dungeon. "Spoink's mission description said the pearl was deep down on the 7th floor. It sounds like a seriously dangerous place. Let's be careful."

"Right. I don't want to be beaten on our first mission," Shelly agreed. "Let's do this and get that stupid pearl!"

"Let's do our best, Shelly," Flare said.

"Agreed."

They nodded and entered the bluff's cave entrance. Once they entered, Shelly looked at the Treasure Bag she wore.

"We can carry 16 items in that bag now and hold one each," Flare explained. "Some items, like Bows, only work if we hold them. Pretty neat, right?"

"Yeah, pretty neat."

The stairs was in the same room they were in. Running down them, the duo reached the next floor.

"We have to eat an Apple or a Gummi if we get hungry, Shelly," Flare warned. "If we get too hungry, we'll faint before long."

"Understood," Shelly said.

Going down a tunnel to another room, Shelly picked up a bright red berry.

"Hey, what's this?" Shelly asked.

"It's a Pecha Berry," The Vulpix explained, picking up the money in the corner. "It helps heal poisoned or badly poisoned Pokemon. They're really useful in these dungeons."

Going down another tunnel, they were surrounded by water. Almost immediately, they were attacked by an insect, Anorith, and a plant, Lileep. Thundershock and Ember finished them off quickly. Entering the next room, they tore down the stairs before a sleeping enemy noticed them.

"We'll earn experience points when we defeat enemies. When you earn enough experience points, you level up," Flare said.

"So I'll get stronger?"

"Yes, much stronger. You may even learn new attacks," Flare added.

"Awesome!"

Right away, Flare accidentally woke up a sleeping Lileep. A pink Shellos, the West Sea hybrid, joined in the fight too. After beating them, Shelly and Flare both became Level 6.

"We leveled up! We're even stronger now!" the Vulpix cried.

Running through another tunnel, they ran down the stairs just before another Anorith could attack them. The stairs were in the same room as they were, along with a Pecha Berry and a brown bottle.

"That's a Max Elixir," Flare said. "It fully restores the Power Points of all your moves."

On the next floor, they went up a tunnel and picked up a Big Apple. Then they went down the stairs.

"One more floor left until we reach that pearl," Shelly reminded.

They went up another tunnel and had to fight a bell thing, Chingling. After defeating it, they ran down the stairs to the final floor.

As they entered the room, Flare saw it. "Oh! Look at that!" They moved forward and found the pink pearl.

"We did it!" Shelly cheered. "Hooray for our first mission!"

"This must be Spoink's pearl," Flare muttered. "Let's hurry back with it!"

Shelly grabbed the pearl and they were teleported out of the dungeon by their badges.

They landed right back in the guild, where Spoink was patiently waiting. Shelly handed back the pearl and Spoink placed it back on its head.

"Th-thank you!" Spoink cried. "This pearl must be propped on my head, you see. I missed it so much! I just couldn't settle down without it up there. So I was just boinging and sproinging everywhere! That's why I'm covered in dings and bumps. But thanks to you, that long nightmare is over! You have my sincere thanks."

They were rewarded with a Protein, a Calcium, an Iron, and 2000 poke. "Oh, wow! 2000 poke?!" Flare exclaimed. "All this money is for us?"

"Incredible! I've never seen so much money in my life!" Shelly said.

"Of course! Of course! That's nothing compared to my pearl's value!" Spoink replied. "Farewell!"

It bounced up the stairs happily.

"We're rich, Shelly! We got rich just like that!" the Vulpix cried.

"I know! Awesome!" Shelly agreed. "We should've done this sooner!"

"Well done, team!" Chatot applauded. "Now hand that money over, if you please."

"What?! Why?" Shelly demanded.

"Huh?!" Flare couldn't believe this.

"Most of the money from jobs goes to the Guildmaster, you see," Chatot explained. "And your team's share of the money comes out to this much...!" He took 1800 poke.

"Huh?! We only keep 200 poke?" Flare said. "That's awful!"

"We worked hard for that money! But at least 200 is more than I've ever had before..." Shelly mumbled.

"Well, that's the guild's rule. You simply have to accept it!" Chatot replied.

"Hmph..." Flare groaned.

"Quit whining and be glad you get anything at all!"

"Waah!"

The duo leaped away when one of the three Houndoom from Team Houndoom stepped forward.

"As I was saying, be glad you get anything at all," he barked. "Most exploration team guilds and rescue team organizations we've been to don't even give their teams any of the reward money. Just be glad with what you have."

"Fang, let's go!" barked the bigger Houndoom, Doom. "We have to head for Amp Plains for that rescue mission! Get a move on!"

"Of course, Doom," the Houndoom, Fang, agreed. "Coming!"

He left them alone.

"Whatever. Just give us back our money, Cha— Where'd he go?!" Shelly cried. Chatot was gone! "He took our money! That thieving bird!"

"At least we still have 200 poke, Shelly," the Vulpix pointed out. "That's better than nothing."

Shelly sighed, annoyed. "I guess so."

A loud ringing noise echoed throughout the guild. "Everyone! Thanks for waiting!" Chimecho said, floating into the room. "I finished making dinner! Come on! Dinner's on!"

"YEAH!" everybody cheered, racing for the dining room. "Crunch-munch! Chew-chew! Snuffle-slurp!"

Everybody ate the wonderful meal that Chimecho made especially for them.

"Aaaaah! I'm done eating. Excellent meal!" Chansey sighed.

"I'm stuffed, and now I'm getting sleepy..." Fearow groaned.

"Yep, I'm off to bed. Good night, gang!" Sweet-Tooth cried as she headed for her room.

"Good night!" Bidoof called.

The moon was full that night, too.

"Listen, Shelly..." Flare mumbled. "Wasn't today hectic? So much happened! But I'm relieved that our first job was a success. It was really upsetting how Wigglytuff's Guild took most of the money..."

"At least we got any at all..." Shelly pointed out, yawning.

"That's just the cost of training, I guess. We can't do anything about it." The Vulpix groaned. "But what really made me happy today, though, was getting thanked by Spoink."

"Yeah, that felt really good," Shelly agreed.

"Yawn...I'm getting sleepy," Flare muttered. "I'm going to sleep. Let's try our best again tomorrow."

"Sure, Flare. Whatever you say," the Pikachu agreed.

"Good night, Shelly..."

"Good night, Flare..."

They both fell asleep.

_The next morning..._

"Hey! Time to get UP!" Loudred yelled. He retreated, going to wake up more Pokemon.

"Ugh! Good morning, Shelly..." the Vulpix moaned.

"Good morning to you, too..." Shelly said, rubbing her ears. "Time to get going."

Once they reached the main room, the group cried, "AND...THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay, Pokemon!" Chatot called. "Time to get to work!"

"HOORAY!" Everyone separated to do their daily morning jobs.

As the two Team Moonlight members wandered around, Chatot shook his head and hopped forward. "Oh, you two! Still wandering around lost, it seems..." he said. "Well, come with me." The trio went up the stairs to the upper floor.

Once there, Chatot stopped in front of the board to the right of the ladder.

"Huh?" Flare muttered. "Last time we did a job, it was from the board on the other side..."

"Correct!" Chatot chuckled. "Today, we'll have you do a job listed on this side."

"How is this different from the board on the other side?" Flare asked.

"Yeah!" Shelly nodded. "They look the exact same, Chatot."

"Take a closer look!" Chatot urged, pointing a wing at the board.

The duo stared at the board a while before they realized it. "Oh, look, Shelly!" Flare cried. Pictures with numbers on them were tacked to this board, unlike the letters on the other one. "There are posters up there that show a variety of Pokemon. Wow, they all look pretty cool! Are they famous explorers?"

"They look a bit creepy to be famous explorers, Flare," the Pikachu whimpered, noticing a picture of a grinning Banette.

"Who are these Pokemon, Chatot?" Flare asked.

"The Pokemon posted here...are outlaws," Chatot explained. "They're all shady characters. And they're wanted for committing crimes."

"Oh no!" Flare cried. "They're outlaws?!"

"I knew those Pokemon didn't look nice!" Shelly spat, fur prickling.

"Correct." Chatot nodded. "So there are bounties on their heads. In other words, there is a cash reward if you capture one. There are so many aggressive Pokemon around these days that everyone's finding it hard to keep up with the problem."

"Wait! You're telling us to catch these outlaws?!" Flare yelped. "You can't be serious! That's impossible!"

"Please say you're kidding!" Shelly begged. "We're new! We can't beat outlaws right off the bat! That's totally unfair to us!"

"Hee-heeeee!" Chatot laughed. "Just joking!"

"Oh, thank god!" Shelly sighed, hanging her head. "I was so sure that you were serious."

"The bad Pokemon out there come in all shades of badness!" Chatot said. "Some of those Pokemon are completely wicked, through and through...but there are also bad Pokemon who are merely petty thieves. So you've got evil and naughty...and everything in between! I'm sure we can avoid giving you a job catching a super-bad Pokemon... Hee-heeeee! So look over these posters, then pick a Pokemon that looks weak enough for you to bring to justice!"

"Um..." Flare sighed. "You say some are weak...but they're still bad Pokemon, aren't they? I'm scared of dangerous Pokemon!" _And it's all my father's fault, too._

"You weren't all that scared of Koffing and Zubat, Flare," Shelly pointed out.

"That was different!" the Vulpix complained.

"It's all a part of your training. You'll work through it, I'm sure!" Chatot reassured. "But I suppose you do need to be prepared to confront a tough opponent...so I'll have someone give you a tour of the facilities." Turning to the ladder, Chatot called, "Hey! Bidoof! Mimi! Bidoof?! Mimi?!"

"Yup yup!" a male's voice called.

"We're comin', Chatot!" a female's voice cried.

The duo came from the lower floor.

"Huff-puff-huff..." Bidoof panted. "You called?"

"What do you want now, Chatot?" Mimi, a Buneary, asked.

"Ah, Bidoof! Mimi!" Chatot smiled. "These are the new recruits that just joined us. Take them and show them around the town."

"Yes sirree!" Bidoof said, nodding. "By golly, we'll do just that! Yup yup!"

"At least Feather, Rose, Bidoof, and I are no longer the newbies," Mimi said, fussing over one ear. "Sure, we'll show them around. I can visit my mom while I'm at it, too!"

Chatot turned to Shelly and Flare. "I want you to pay attention to what Bidoof and Mimi say and follow their orders. Off you go!"

Chatot hopped down the ladder to the lower floor.

"Aw, shucks, I'm overjoyed!" Bidoof said, smiling.

"Why's that?" Flare asked.

"I'm glad to have members junior to me! I'm almost overcome right now..." Bidoof wiped a paw over his eyes. "I might just blubber with happiness!"

"Um, please don't," Mimi muttered, backing away from her fellow apprentice. "If you do, keep the waterworks away from me. I can't swim."

"Before you both signed on, I was the most recent rookie..." Bidoof explained, sniffling. "Sniffle... Well, we'd best show you around. Come with us, please. Mimi?"

"Right, I'm coming," the Buneary replied, hopping forward. "Let's do this."

They went down the ladder to the lower floor, the main room.

"First things first!" Bidoof said. Pointing to a big frog-like structure on the left side of the room, he continued. "Here, we have Croagunk..." The blue frog Pokemon jumped. "But to tell the truth, I don't have any idea what that Pokemon's up to..."

"Nobody but Croagunk himself knows, Bidoof," Mimi deadpanned, crossing her paws.

"He always seems to be fiddling around with that big cauldron back there. It's all a mystery to me! Yup yup!" Bidoof pointed to the hallway leading to the dining room. "Over this way's the mess hall." Pointing to the hall leading to the rooms, he said, "And if you both look that way, you'll find the crew rooms." Then he pointed to Wigglytuff's chambers. "And this here leads to the Guildmaster's Chamber."

"Uh, Chatot led us to those places earlier," Shelly pointed out.

"This is just part of the tour," Mimi replied. "Just making sure you know that stuff. Now here comes the fun part."

"Next, I'll guide you both around places outside the guild," Bidoof said.

The four Pokemon went up the ladders, out of the tent, over the grate, and down the long set of stairs. Shelly noticed Scythe leaning against a boulder near the staircase. Was he an exploration team member? If so, where was his team? She pushed him out of her mind as they took the left path at the four-way, entering what looked like a town.

They walked to a large clearing in the paths, and then Bidoof and Mimi turned to face them.

"This is the main part of town for the local Pokemon...It's called Treasure Town," Bidoof explained.

"Oh, I can tell you about Treasure Town too," Flare piped up. She pointed to a building with a large skull on it. "That over there is Duskull Bank. We can save our money there." Then she pointed to a building with a black and yellow head on it. "And that over there is the Electivire Link Shop. That's where you can do things like link moves together, but...it looks as if Electivire isn't here today." Pointing across the bridge to a building with a green head on it, she continued. "There we have Kecleon Market. You can buy and sell items there." She pointed to a building with a brown head next. "And there's Kangaskhan Storage. Items stored there will never be lost. If you have precious items that you can't afford to lose, store them there before you go on an adventure."

"Why don't you put your Relic Fragment there?" Shelly asked.

"I like to keep it close to me, that's all," Flare replied. _Plus, that place can't keep my father out._ "And those are the basic places that exploration teams visit. And that should do it."

"You sure know a lot, yes sirree! And that's good to know!" Bidoof commented.

"Know-it-all," Mimi muttered behind a paw.

Flare pointedly ignored her.

"All right, then. Come find me when you're all ready to go. I'll give you a helping hand in selecting the right outlaw for you," Bidoof said. "Mimi, you're visiting your mom, right?"

"Yep. Want me to get you anything?" Mimi asked.

"No thanks." Bidoof shook his head. "But thanks for asking."

"Thank you, Bidoof, Mimi. You've been really nice," Flare thanked.

"I could hardly call that bunny's comment 'nice'," Shelly growled darkly.

Bidoof blushed furiously. "G-golly, you're embarrassing me! Aw, shucks..."

"Was it something I said?" Flare asked, sounding concerned.

"No, he's just like this," Mimi replied. "You'll get used to it eventually."

Recovering from his embarrassment, Bidoof turned back to the duo. "I'll be waiting in the guild's upper underground floor for you."

With that, Bidoof headed back to the guild.

"See you guys later," Mimi said, waving with an ear. Then she was off too, looking for her mother.

After watching them leave, Flare turned to Shelly. "OK, let's go. I'd like to see what kinds of items are available! Let's go to the Kecleon Market! Before we head back, a visit to Kecleon Market is a must!"

"I totally agree with that," Shelly said. "We can't defend ourselves properly with Max Elixirs, Oran Berries, Pecha Berries, and Blast Seeds. I wonder what else there is."

Running down the path and across the bridge, the duo stood before Kecleon Market. Two Kecleon, one green and one purple, stood behind the desk. They checked with the green one first.

"Welcome to the Kecleon Shop!" the green Kecleon said. "What can I do for you ladies?"

"Can you show us what items you have today?" Flare asked.

"Very well! Feel free to examine my merchandise!" Opening the door leading to behind the desk, the duo stopped in front of a large shelf in the back filled with items.

"Hey, what did you mean by 'what you have today'?" Shelly asked.

"Oh! The merchandise of both the Kecleon Shop and Kecleon Wares changes daily," Flare replied. "Oh, he has 5 Geo Pebbles! We'll take these!"

After paying for them and depositing them into the bag, Kecleon asked, "May I help you with anything else, ladies?"

"No thank you." Flare shook her head.

"Thanks! Please come again!" the green Kecleon suggested.

"Don't worry, we plan to," Shelly reassured. "We're an exploration team!"

"Well, that's nice. See you next time you drop by!" the green Kecleon said, smiling.

"Mister Kecleon!" a voice cried.

Two blue mice hopped up to the counter. The larger of the two had been the one to speak.

"Ah! Little Marill and Azurill!" the green Kecleon chuckled. "Welcome, my young friends!"

The smaller one, Azurill, smiled. "Hello. May I buy an Apple?" he asked.

"Oh, most certainly!" Vanishing to the shelf, he returned with an Apple wrapped up in a blue bag.

"Thank you, Mister Kecleon!" Marill chirped, smiling.

"No, thank you, my young friends!" the green Kecleon replied, waving a hand. "You are to be admired!"

The duo hopped away.

Turning to the girls, he said, "You see, those delightful children are brothers. Lately, their poor mother has fallen sick. So those youngsters come and do the shopping for her. It's quite remarkable. Though very young, they've stepped up and taken charge."

Suddenly, the two brothers were back.

"Mister Kecleon!" Marill cried.

"Oh? What's the hurry?" the green Kecleon asked. "What makes you return in such a rush?"

"There was an extra Apple!" Azurill explained.

"We didn't pay for this many!" Marill added.

"Oh, yes..." The green Kecleon smiled at his brother. "That, my young friends, is a gift from me and my brother. Please, share it among yourselves and do enjoy."

"Really?!" Marill asked, shocked.

"Yay!" Azurill cried, "Thank you, Mr. Kecleon and Mr. Kecleon!"

"Oh, not to worry, my friends!" the green Kecleon laughed. "Do take care on your way home."

As the duo left, Azurill tripped and dropped the extra Apple. "Yowch!" he yelped. The apple bounced and landed at Shelly's feet. Picking it up, Azurill hopped over to her. "W-we're sorry to bother you. Thank you so much."

Shelly nodded. "No problem."

She handed that Apple back. But then suddenly...Shelly started to feel dizzy. She saw a flash of light. _Huh? What was that?_ A second flash of light. _This feeling again. D-dizzy? Or am I...?_ A final flash of light and then darkness. A line of light sprang horizontally across her vision, blinding her.

" _H-h-h...HELP!"_

The darkness receded and Shelly was back in Treasure Town, in front of Azurill. She leaped backward, shock written on her face. _What was that?! It was different from when I was on the beach. I'm sure I heard a shout for help just now..._ Looking around, she saw nothing suspicious. _Did that shout come from Azurill?_

"Is something the matter?" Azurill asked.

"Hey, Azurill!" Marill called. "What's going on? Hurry home!"

"Yup! I'm coming! Wait up!" Azurill ran back to his brother, who stood by the bridge.

"Are you all right?" Marill asked.

"Yup!" Azurill nodded.

"We're done with our shopping... Now we gotta look for an item we've lost!" Marill reminded himself. "Let's get going."

"Yup! I'm coming!" Azurill said, bouncing slightly.

The duo went across the bridge together.

Flare smiled. "Ha! Those little guys are cute!" Then she noticed how tense Shelly was. "Oh? What's the matter, Shelly?"

"Did you hear someone shout for help just now?" Shelly asked. "I did."

"Huh?" the Vulpix questioned. "Uh, no...I didn't hear anything like that! Hey, Kecleon brothers! Did you hear anything strange just a moment ago?"

"No, nothing out of the ordinary," the green Kecleon replied.

"I didn't hear anything odd either," the purple Kecleon agreed.

Flare looked at Shelly. "It sounds like the Kecleon brothers didn't hear anything strange. You must have imagined it, Shelly."

"But... But..." Shelly couldn't believe this. _No, I'm positive that I didn't imagine it. I definitely heard it! That shout that I heard..._ "H-h-h...Help!" _There's no mistaking it... That was Azurill's scream!_

Flare waved a tail in Shelly's face, laughing. "Uh, are you daydreaming?" she asked. "Let's move it, Shelly!"

The duo ran across the bridge and back into the clearing. The she noticed something.

"Oh! What's going on there?"

Azurill and Marill were talking to a big gold and brown Pokemon, Drowzee. Then Azurill cheered.

"Yaaaay!"

"Thank you!" Marill said.

"Please, it's nothing," Drowzee replied.

The duo walked up to them.

"What's going on?" Flare asked.

"Oh! Hi!" Azurill chirped.

"Some time ago, we lost an item that's pretty important to us..." Marill explained. "We've been looking all over...but we haven't found it yet! Then Mr. Drowzee came along...and he says he may have seen our lost item somewhere! He even offered to help us look for it. We're so happy about this!"

"Yeah! That's great for you!" Flare cried.

"We're glad you found some help," Shelly said. "If you need extra help, call us."

"Thank you, Mr. Drowzee!" Azurill squeaked, smiling.

"Oh, please..." Drowzee said, looking away. "I'd have to have a cold heart to ignore kids in need! I can't turn a blind eye! Let us be on our way to begin our search!"

"Yup!" Marill agreed.

"Yup!" Azurill agreed.

As the trio left, Drowzee accidentally bumped into Shelly. "Whoops!" he cried. "Excuse me." He left again.

The flashing lights started again. _Urk... W-what is this...?_

"That Drowzee sure is a nice Pokemon, isn't he?" Flare asked. "I'm impressed. With more and more bad Pokemon about, it's hard to do good deeds nowadays."

Another flash of light. _It's happening again..._ Shelly groaned. _Another dizzy spell..._ Darkness and then the strip of light.

_Azurill and Drowzee were in a dark cave, alone. "If you keep being difficult, it will only mean big trouble for you." Drowzee threatened._

_"H-h-h...HELP!" Azurill cried._

The cave faded and Shelly was back in Treasure Town once again. _What was that?!_

"It would be nice if those little guys found their item soon," Flare said. "Huh? What's the matter, Shelly? You're looking awfully grim..."

"I have to tell you something," Shelly muttered.

"Hmm? What is it?" Flare asked.


	4. Saving Azurill

A few minutes later, Shelly had explained everything.

"What? You had a dizzy spell?" Flare asked. "And then you saw Azurill being threatened by Drowzee?! And you want to go rescue Azurill right away?"

"Of course!" Shelly barked. "We have to help him! Something tells me that this is an emergency, Flare!"

"An emergency?!" Flare whimpered. _Is what she telling me true? How can any Pokemon see into the future? It's impossible! But what if she's right?_ "Well, what you describe does sound like an emergency, but... Well, it's not like I don't trust you, Shelly, but I just can't believe it!"

"Why not?!" Shelly demanded.

"Drowzee seemed like a sincerely nice Pokemon, didn't he?" Flare asked. "I watched the three of them go off earlier. They looked like they were having a good time, didn't they? You're probably just tired, Shelly. Maybe that's why you had that bad daydream."

"But..." Shelly sighed sadly. _Was that it...? Just a bad daydream? But what about the one at the beach? Or Azurill's scream? But come to think of it, Drowzee didn't seem like a bad Pokemon._

"Anyways, we're only apprentices. We can't just go do whatever we want," the Vulpix pointed out. "Sure, it's worrying but we have to concentrate on our guild work for now. Let's get ourselves ready to explore. Then we should find Bidoof. Something tells me Mimi won't be there this time. Bidoof's supposed to be waiting for us on the guild's upper underground floor. Let's go, Shelly!"

"I guess so. Maybe you're right," Shelly muttered. "It was just a daydream... All of them were."

Before heading back to the guild, the duo went to the beach. As expected, Alani the Buizel was sunning herself on the sand.

"Hey, Alani! How's the surfing?" Flare called.

"Perfect!" Alani cried, leaping to her feet. "Why don't you two take a dip with me? Oh, don't give me that face, Flare. You'll be fine, I promise!"

"Well, I am getting a bit hot," Shelly commented. "Why not? I'm in!" She ran to the shore and jumped in, shooting up afterward. "COLD!" she screamed.

"Of course it's cold, silly!" Alani laughed. Turning to Flare, she asked, "So, who is she?"

"Her name's Shelly. She says that she used to be a human," Flare explained. "She and I recently joined Wigglytuff's Guild. We're exploration Team Moonlight now."

"That's awesome! One question, though," Alani said.

"What?"

"What in Arceus' name is a human?"

"Um, well..." Flare groaned. _Mother never explained to me what they were. Maybe I can just make up something. Alani will never know the difference._ "A human is a giant creature with six arms and a giant bladed tail. They have big red eyes, huge claws, and like to eat mischievous Pokemon for breakfast!"

"EEP!" Alani cried. "And Shelly was one of those things?"

"Yes." Flare nodded. "Actually, I really don't know what a human is. And since Shelly has amnesia, she probably wouldn't know what a human looked like either."

"Good, because that sounded scary!" Alani complained.

"Hey, guys! Are you coming in or not?" Shelly called. She was swimming around the shallows, laughing at how fun it was. Suddenly, she screamed as a giant blue whale popped up beneath her. "Guys, help! Something's got me!"

Alani ran out into the surf, laughing. "Calm down, Shelly! It's just Waily!" she cried. "He's a Wailmer and is practically harmless! He's just giving you a ride!"

"Oh, okay. That's cool!" The Pikachu smiled. _At least this big guy isn't gonna eat me._

After a while, a small group of young Pokemon swarmed onto the beach, begging to play with Waily. Team Moonlight stepped aside, allowing the youngsters into the surf. Shelly spotted a large puffball of a bird sitting on a large rock, silently watching the children play.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"Oh, it's 'Aolani!" Flare said. "She's the youngsters' babysitter. Though, she is pretty mysterious. Not even Detective Granbull can figure her out completely."

"How come?" Shelly asked.

"She's been here longer than most Pokemon have," Alani muttered. "Altaria like her are rumored to live for many generations. She doesn't seem to get older and never gets too close to the youngsters. From what I've heard, baby Pokemon that get too close to 'Aolani died. She's been watching them from afar since then."

"But it's just a rumor, right?" Flare chuckled nervously. "It's not really true, right?"

"Nobody really knows, Flare," the Buizel admitted. "She's really mysterious, that much everybody knows."

"Hey, isn't it getting late?" Shelly asked.

"Yes, it is! We have to get back to the guild!" Flare cried. "Thanks for your time, Alani! We'll drop by later, okay?"

"Sure! Come by anytime!" Alani called. "Not like I have much else to do..."

Running down the path and up the stairs, they shouted a greeting to Scythe. The Sceptile nodded, ignoring them as threats. Dashing down the ladder to the lower underground floor, Shelly collapsed into her bed to dry off.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" she asked. "Why didn't you come in?"

"Um, hello? Water and fire don't mix well," Flare reminded. "I would if I could but my inner fire would be put out if I went swimming. That's why I played in the shallows, where the water's up to my paws."

"You're such a wet blanket!" Shelly complained.

"But you're the one who's wet, Shelly," Flare pointed out.

"Oh, shut up." She tossed a pawful of hay at the Fire-type.

Flare simply ducked. "Too slow!"

"Oh, forget it!"

After a bit, they ran up the ladder and met up with Bidoof. As Flare predicted, Mimi was not with him.

"Huh?" Bidoof asked. "Are you folks all set and ready for some exploring?"

"Yes, we are!" Shelly agreed.

"Oh, yes sirree! Reckon you all are all ready!" Bidoof cheered. "Then let's pick us a lawbreaker for you to find!" Turning to the board, he said, "Well, you've got your pick of this sorry bunch of characters."

"Let's see. Which should we pick?" Flare muttered, searching the board.

"Ahem." The duo turned to Bidoof. "As your mentor, how about I do the choosing?"

"Don't choose anyone too scary!" Flare suggested, shivering.

"Yes, sirree, I hear you! Let's see. Eenie, meenie..." He searched the board.

Suddenly, there was a siren sounding. "Stand clear! Updating listings! Stand clear! Updating listings!"

The ground started shaking.

"What's that? What's happening?" Flare cried.

"Whoa! Earthquake!" Shelly shouted. "Hit the deck!" She flattened herself to the floor.

"Oh, the data's getting updated," Bidoof explained.

"You seem fine by this," Shelly growled.

"It's being...updated?" Flare repeated, confused.

Suddenly, the board flipped over into the wall, leaving them with the empty back.

"Whoa! Did you see that?! The panel flipped over!" Flare yelped. _That's almost just like how our escape route back home used to work. Just flip the piece of sheet rock and you have an exit._ "What's going on here?"

Bidoof smiled. "The Outlaw Notice Board and the Job Bulletin Board are set up on revolving panels. When the panel is flipped over, Dugtrio swaps out the old jobs with new ones." He explained. "Updating data is Dugtrio's duty. He tunnels his way to our guild, then he flips the panel and updates the data. This duty doesn't get noticed much, but it's very important. Yup yup! That's why Dugtrio takes such great pride in the duty he does!"

"How can anybody _not_ notice that or the earthquake that comes before it happens?" Shelly asked.

"Oh, is that so?" Flare asked.

The siren sounded again. "Update completed! Stand clear! Update completed! Stand clear!"

"Oh, looks like he's done," Flare pointed out.

The board flipped over again, filled with new jobs.

"Yes, sirree! The data is updated!" Bidoof nodded. "The list of outlaws has been refreshed, so let's pick one."

They started searching the board.

"...!" Flare started shaking. _Oh no. Please, no._

Bidoof noticed the shaking. "Huh? What's ailing you?" he asked. "Why are you shivering all of a sudden? It's not cold here, after all."

"Flare, what's the matter?" Shelly asked. "See a spooky outlaw or something?"

"Not that. L-l-look at this, Shelly!" She pointed to a poster. "At the top! On the left!"

It was a poster of Drowzee!

"It's Drowzee! H-he's a wanted criminal! We have to get moving! Azurill will be in danger!" the Vulpix said.

"I told you so! But did you listen to me? Noooo!" Shelly laughed. "Let's go! We have to save Azurill!"

They raced up the ladder, leaving a baffled Bidoof behind.

"Now what's going on?" the beaver-like Pokemon asked. "Where are you all off to?"

Racing down the stairs outside of the tent, they spotted a familiar Pokemon speaking frantically with Scythe.

"Look! There's Marill!" Flare cried. "Marill, what's the matter? Where are Azurill and Drowzee?"

Running to them, he cried, "Yes...about them...! After we all left, we went looking for our lost item together...but I wound up all alone when Mr. Drowzee went somewhere with Azurill. I called and called but they didn't come back! I got scared..."

"And he came running to me," Scythe finished.

"So which way did they go?!" Flare demanded.

"Yeah, we'll get him back for you!" Shelly promised.

"Th-that way!" Marill pointed down the path opposite of Treasure Town.

They went down the path until they reach a cavern.

"You think Drowzee and Azurill went this direction?" Flare asked.

"Yes..." Marill nodded.

Flare turned to her partner. "Oh, Shelly! The Drowzee and Azurill you saw in your dream... You were saying you saw them in a mountainous place, right?"

"Right. Why?" the Pikachu asked.

"I get the feeling that they're up ahead here," Flare replied. "Let's get going, Shelly!"

"Sure! Let's save Azurill!"

The duo ran down the path, headed for a large mountain.

On the first floor, the stairs were in the same room as they were. Grabbing some money and a Reviver Seed, they fled down the stairs.

"This Reviver Seed will revive you if you faint in a dungeon. They're really important," Flare explained.

"Got it, Flare. Oh crud, look out!" Shelly cried.

They raced down a tunnel on the second floor, escaping a black and white bird called Starly...only to run face-first into a two-headed bird called Doduo. After just barely beating it, they both achieved Level 7. Running through tunnels and coming across dead-end rooms, they ended up fighting a floating rock with arms and a green spider. They barely survived through the Geodude, blasting the Spinarak away with Ember.

Going through another tunnel and beating another Doduo, the duo picked up another seed.

"That's a Heal Seed. It heals all your status problems, like poison or sleep," the Vulpix said, dropping the seed into the bag.

They finally reached the room with the stairs, just barely avoiding conflict with a Spinarak. After beating two Starly on the third floor, they became Level 8. They ran up a long tunnel and tore down the stairs, grabbing a Yellow Gummi along the way.

On the fourth floor, Flare blew a Starly away with her newly-learned Roar. As it lay stunned by a nearby wall, the duo ran through a few tunnels before encountering a blue toad-like thing with horns. The Nidorina was beaten by a well-aimed Thundershock and the team raced down the stairs.

On the fifth floor, they were attacked by a Doduo and Starly immediately in the tunnels. After just barely beating them and splitting an Oran Berry between them, Team Moonlight carried on. They entered another room and grabbed some Geo Pebbles before fighting a gray thing called Machop. Grabbing some money and an Apple, they went down the stairs to the sixth floor.

"Don't worry Azurill, we're coming," Shelly muttered, shocking a Starly that got too close. Flare sent her a look and the Pikachu forced herself to calm down. "Drowzee, you are _so_ gonna pay for taking him."

Shelly picked up a Rawst Berry and dropped it in the bag. They encountered a purple toad-like thing with horns, a Nidorino, and beat it with a Thundershock and Ember combo. They went down the stairs to the seventh floor. The stairs were in the same room as them, allowing them free passage to the eighth floor.

They were instantly surrounded by a Spinarak, Doduo, and Machop. They just barely beat them, wasting their only precious Reviver Seed. Going down the stairs in the next room, they focused solely on trying to find a Reviver Seed. After beating up other enemy Pokemon and rising to Level 9, they were finally successful in finding one. They ran down the stairs, fully prepared to save Azurill.

"Here we come, Drowzee!" Shelly shouted.

"We're coming, Azurill. Just hang on a bit longer," Flare muttered.

Just as they neared the staircase, Flare noticed something out of the corner of her eye. _Is it just me or did it get darker in here?_ She looked ahead to see that Shelly was by the staircase. "Shelly, something's wrong! I don't think we're alone here!"

"Of course we're not alone, Flare!" the Pikachu cried. "We have loads of enemy Pokemon on our tail, as well as Azurill and Drowzee."

"Shelly, look around! It's getting darker!"

Suddenly, Shelly screamed.

"Shelly? Shelly! What's wrong?"

"I swear I just saw something big over there!" she wailed. "Flare, get over here, please! Let's just go get Azurill and get out of here!"

Sinister laughter suddenly filled the room. The sounds of footsteps signaled that enemy Pokemon were fleeing from the sound. Team Moonlight also felt the urge to flee but stood their ground. Suddenly, the laughter faded and was replaced by a large lupine shape standing in the middle of the room. Glowing red eyes glared at them from the darkness and sharp teeth glinted.

"Come on, let's go!" Shelly hissed, tugging her teammate to the stairs.

Just as they were about to go down them, the thing spoke.

"I'm surprised," it chuckled. "All I have to do is take down two little brats? I swear, our leader is growing more senile by the day. What possible threat can come from a Pikachu and a Vulpix? Sure, they're causing others problems but what can they do to us?"

"W-who are you?" Flare dared to ask. _What does he mean 'cause others problems'? Does he mean my father? Or is this guy working for father?_

"You want to know who _I_ am?" it asked. "Don't you mean 'what are you'? Because I'm not like you pathetic Pokemon. I'm much worse that that, little ones. _So_ much worse."

"Who are you?" Flare repeated. "What are you? What do you want with us?"

"My name? Why, it's Enyeto," the thing, Enyeto, replied. "I'm what you call a Shadow Wolf, a creature of darkness. And I'm here under orders to destroy you."

"Well, we'll fight you with everything we have!" Shelly spat, sparks jumping from her cheeks.

Enyeto fell silent for a few seconds before he burst out laughing. "You really think you could defeat me? That's quite the laugh! But I'll reassure you, I no longer trust in my superior's sanity. Staying in the darkness as we have does...things to your head," he said, grinning. "To think that such tiny creatures such as yourselves could be a threat to us is utter nonsense! I simply decided to see for myself these 'threats', little ones."

"Well, take this!" Shelly unleashed a Thundershock.

Enyeto smiled before diving into the shadowy floor, vanishing into it.

"What the? Where'd he go, Flare?!"

"I don't know, Shelly!" the Vulpix whimpered. "He just vanished into the floor."

Suddenly, he reappeared from the floor. "It is called our Shadow Teleportation. As long as there are shadows, we can enter anywhere. Even the most secure of places have shadows, allowing us entry whenever we choose. Nothing can destroy it."

"What do you want, you stupid mutt?!" Shelly yelled.

Enyeto sighed. "That's not a very nice thing to say to something that can attack you through your own shadow, little one," he said, mocking a hurt animal. "As for what I want, that is none of your concern. Though, I guess I gained something out of this little visit. The darkness is very strong within you, little yellow mouse."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing to be bothered with," Enyeto said, turning away. "Well, I've had my fun. Now, I will leave so you may save your little friend. Adios, little ones!"

He dove into the floor, vanishing once more. Suddenly, the darkness faded and the room lit up once more. The Shadow Wolf known as Enyeto was gone.

"What was that about?" Shelly asked. _What does he mean by darkness? And what are these Shadow Wolves?_

"I think this won't be the last time we see him, Shelly," Flare muttered. "We'll be seeing him again. Something inside me just knows it." _What was that thing? Does it work for my father or is this an entirely new threat? This is getting so confusing..._

"Hey, shouldn't we be saving Azurill now?" Shelly asked.

"Yes, we should. Let's go, Shelly!" Suddenly, something hit Flare like a brick wall in her mind. _How did that thing know about Azurill?!_

_Mt. Bristle Peak..._

Azurill stopped close to a wall with a small hole drilled into it. "Uh-oh. It's a dead end." He turned to face Drowzee, who had brought him here. "Excuse me, Mr. Drowzee. Where is my lost item? Could you show me where the item is now?"

"Sorry, kiddo," Drowzee replied. "You're lost item? It's not here, that's for sure."

"Huh?" Azurill looked around. "My...big brother... My big brother's following us, right? He's coming soon?"

"Nope. Your big brother's not coming," Drowzee explained. "I'll let you in on a little secret. It was all a trick. I deceived you."

"Huh?!" Now Azurill was getting scared.

"But let's not dwell on that. There's a little favor I need to ask. See that hole behind you?"

Azurill looked at it.

"Well... There's a rumor that there's a trove of thief treasure inside there! But as you can see, I'm too big to squirm my way into that hole. And that's where you come in!"

"What?!" Azurill stared at Drowzee in shock.

"Don't worry," Drowzee reassured him. "Just do as I say. Do that, then I'll help you get back out of here."

"B-but..." Azurill jumped on the ball at the end of his tail, shivering.

"Go on, get going." Drowzee stepped closer. "Go into that hole. And don't forget to bring back the treasure!"

"I want my big brother!" Azurill cried, running past Drowzee.

"H-hey! Stop that!" Drowzee managed to speed past him, stopping that blue mouse from running any farther. "Sheesh! I said that I'll take you home when you're done! If you don't do what I ask...there will be trouble for you."

"H-h-help!" Azurill cried.

"Stop right there!" Flare shouted.

Drowzee turned to see the duo behind him. Team Moonlight stepped forward, glaring at the Psychic-type.

"We won't let you do that! Drowzee, you bully!" the Vulpix growled.

"H-how did you find this place?!" Drowzee stuttered, terrified.

"Marill told us, Drowzee," Shelly replied, smiling. "Now give Azurill back before we show you who's boss!"

"We're Team Moonlight!" Flare added. "An exploration team! No criminal can escape us!"

Drowzee looked around wildly, sweating. "An exploration team?! You came to apprehend..." Then he noticed something. "...Huh? Are you...trembling?"

"Flare..." Shelly sighed.

 _This guy... He gives off the same aura as father, just smaller,_ Flare thought, shivering. _Why? Why now?_

Drowzee laughed. "Aha! I've figured it out! You say you're an exploration team, but you're total rookies!"

"Urk!" Flare whimpered. _No, I have to stop. Stop shivering, darn it! He's not my father, he's just a criminal! Stop shivering!_

"Heh. That right, I'm a wanted Pokemon with a bounty on my head," Drowzee said. "But can you two do the job? Can you confront this outlaw and bring him to justice?"

"Urk!" Flare forced herself to stop shivering. "Y-yes. We can. Yes, we can!" she cried. "We'd never lose to a bad guy like you!"

"You got that right, Flare!" Shelly cheered. "We can bring you to justice, Drowzee! Just you watch!"

"Ha ha ha!" Drowzee laughed. "I've been chased by all sorts of exploration teams in my day...but never a sorrier-looking bunch than you two!"

"Urk!" Flare whimpered. _No, he's not father! He's a stupid criminal that needs to be brought down. I escaped father. This guy's nothing compared to him!_

"This should be a laugh. Let's see if you can take me down." Drowzee chuckled. "Show me what you've got!"

"Will do, Drowzee! You're going down!" Shelly smirked.

"Azurill, back away while we finish this guy!" Flare cried.

"Got it!" Azurill turned and ran back to the wall, escaping the battle zone of the three fighters.

Drowzee came forward and used Confusion. Shelly dodged and charged, sparks flying as she shocked him. He shook it off and raised a fist to Pound her, only to be hit with Roar from Flare. He used Disable, paralyzing the fox while he attacked Shelly. The Electric-type dodged each blow, trying to find an opening.

Flare finally broke out of her paralyzed state and let loose an Ember. Drowzee grinned and moved...allowing the attack to hit Shelly! As the Pikachu hit the ground in pain, he paralyzed Flare again and turned to the downed Pikachu. He advanced.

"You sure are a troublesome kid, you know?" he said. "You think you're so tough. But guess what? You're simply a little brat with a big ego. And now you're going down."

He raised and fist and used Pound, beating her fiercely. As Shelly screamed, something deep inside her woke up.

Suddenly in a flash of yellow, Drowzee was thrown backward. As he pulled himself to his feet, he heard a voice say, "You're the one who's going down!" He looked up to see black fur and red eyes, and knew he was in trouble.

"Uh oh." He dodged, barely escaping a blast of red electricity. _What? Red?! What's up with this kid? She's definitely no normal Pikachu._ After a few dodges, the black Pikachu jumped on him, pining him down. "What are you? Where's the brat I was fighting before?!"

"Oh, you mean Shelly? She's asleep right now," the Pikachu replied. Her voice sounded sweet but was dripping with venom. "You were going to kill her and I can't have that. If she dies, I die too and I'm in no mood to die now."

"Who are you?"

The Pikachu grinned. "I'm Shivani, a Shadow Pokemon."

As she lowered her head to finish the job, a voice interrupted her.

"Shelly, what are you doing?" It was Flare, just recovering from the paralysis. "Shelly? Shelly!"

"Darn," Shivani hissed, pulling away.

With a final Thundershock made of purple electricity, Drowzee was down. Her fur quickly turned back to normal as Flare came closer.

"Shelly, are you okay? I thought your fur turned black for a moment and your electricity turned red," Flare said, coming closer. "Are you okay?"

Shelly groaned, shaking her head. "No, I'm not okay. My chest and stomach hurts from those poundings and I've got a aching head. What happened anyways, Flare?"

"You beat Drowzee single-handedly. We won, Shelly," Flare replied, smiling. "I knew joining with you was a good idea."

"I guess so. Let's check on Azurill, Flare."

As the duo went, Drowzee groaned. _What was that? That girl isn't normal, I swear. But if her name is Shelly, who's Shivani?_ He sighed, finally going unconscious.

"We came to rescue you, Azurill," Flare said as they approached the frightened Pokemon. "Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I think Drowzee hurt us more than him, Flare." Shelly groaned, resting a paw on her head. _Man, that hurt. What happened? On minute Drowzee's beating me but and the next, Drowzee's down for the count. How did I beat him?_

"I'm okay," Azurill replied.

"Great! What a relief!" Flare sighed. "Your big brother is waiting. Let's go home!"

"OK."

"Finally!" Shelly whined. "This was a terrible day!"

The trio laughed as they exited the dungeon.

Once outside, two floating balls with magnets on either side of their bodies, three connected balls with magnets on it, and a giant flying saucer with magnets beneath it and an antenna on top surrounded Drowzee.

"Hey, who are you?" Flare asked.

"ZZZT! I am Magnezone, the primary officer of this region! ZZZT!" the disk, Magnezone, replied. "ZZZT! Thanks to you...we have been able to arrest this wanted outlaw! ZZZT! ZZZT! We owe you great thanks for your cooperation! ZZZT!"

The four laughed happily.

"Ow! These guys are making my headache worse!" Shelly complained.

"ZZZT! We apologize greatly for that, miss," the second largest one said. "ZZZT! By the way, my name is Chief Magneton. Pleased to make your acquaintance! ZZZT!"

"Okay, if you say so." Shelly rubbed her ears painfully.

Magnezone spoke again. "ZZZT! We will send the reward to your guild. Thank you again! ZZZT!" He turned to Drowzee. "ZZZT! Now come with us! ZZZT!"

"Awww..." Drowzee groaned.

As the police officers left with him, Drowzee took extra care to stay as far away from Shelly as possible. Soon enough, they were gone.

"What was that about?" Shelly asked.

"I guess Drowzee's afraid of you now." Flare laughed.

"Azurill!"

It was Marill and following him was Scythe, who looked peeved.

"Marill!" Azurill cried. The duo embraced each other while Scythe stepped around them to stand near Team Moonlight. "Waaaaaah! Marill! It was so scary!"

"You OK, Azurill?" Marill asked. "Are you hurt?"

Flare smiled. "He's fine. The little guy hasn't been harmed in any way," she reassured him.

"We're the ones who were harmed," Shelly mumbled.

"Really?" Marill asked. "That's a relief! Oh, Azurill...Azurill..." He started crying, too.

"I'm glad you kids are happy," Flare said, smiling.

"You did this all for us, Flare and Shelly. We won't forget what you did for us. Thank you so much," Marill thanked them. "Come on, Azurill. You too."

"Yup..." Azurill nodded. "Thank you very much! Thank you for rescuing me!"

"Really... Really, thank you!" Marill added.

The duo returned to Treasure Town.

"Come on, Team Moonlight," Scythe grumbled. "I'll walk you back to the guild."

The duo agreed and they headed back to the guild. The Exploration Team Federation sent a message, rewarding them with an enlarged Treasure Bag. Now they could carry more items than before. Once they reached the first underground floor, they were congratulated by Chatot.

"I've gotten the bounty from Officer Magnezone for the captured outlaw!" he sang. "Well done, you two! Here's you share from the job. It's yours to keep!" They were handed 3000 poke. "But, because most of it is for the guild, that was withheld. As a result, you get 300 poke total."

"What?! This is all we get?!" Flare cried. "After all that hard work..."

"Hey, I nearly died catching that guy! Give us our money, you thieving bird!" Shelly barked.

"...But of course. It's all a part of the training!" Chatot replied. "And we expect just as much effort tomorrow! Hee-heeee!"

"We hate you, Chatot! We hate you!" Shelly growled.

"Oh, hush now! Hate me all you want, it won't get the rest of your money back," Chatot snapped. He turned and fled down the stairs before Shelly could shock him.

"Urf... I'd be happy if our share of the reward was a little bigger," Flare muttered.

"I swear that Guildmaster Wigglytuff has a hot tub in his chambers with all the money he gets," Shelly growled. "Ow, my head! I definitely need to see Chansey before dinner, Flare."

"It's all right, though. At least we managed to rescue Azurill," Flare pointed out. "And it's all thanks to you, Shelly. Because you had that dream, Shelly...we learned about Azurill's trouble in advance."

 _That's true,_ Shelly thought. _I can't explain it, but... That first shout I heard from Azurill..._ _And that dream I had..._ _Both of those events... They took place in the future! Why was I able to see something like that? What was that dream about?_

Suddenly, they heard a growling sound.

"Oh! My stomach growled!" the Vulpix laughed. Another growl, this time from Shelly. "Ha ha ha! Your stomach growled, too! We must have worked up a big appetite! We were so focused on rescuing Azurill that I didn't notice at all!"

"Neither did I, Flare." Shelly chuckled. "Now I'm really hungry. Maybe I'll visit Chansey after dinner..."

Both of there stomachs growled again.

"Now I'm even hungrier! Let's go eat!"

Just at that moment, they heard Chimecho call for dinner.

"Let's eat!" Shelly cried.

The duo ran down the ladder and into the mess hall, devouring everything they could. After they ate, Shelly headed for Chansey's room while Flare went back to their room.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

"I am. Do you need help?" It was Glameow. "I'm afraid that Chansey isn't here but if you really need help, I could try to help you."

"Yes, please. I have a horrible headache, Glameow." Shelly groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"Stay here and I'll be right back."

Glameow vanished behind a curtain of beads. Once she returned, she was carrying some white herbs and a green berry with two black stripes running vertically around it. After smashing them together, she instructed her to eat them.

"It's a Lum Berry and Herb Cure. Chansey just taught me it last night before she left."

"Where did she go? You're her apprentice, so shouldn't you be with her?" Shelly asked.

Glameow looked away, embarrassed. "Actually, I can't fight. I'm terribly afraid of dungeons and I usually faint on the first two floors. I can't even beat a basic level Shellos. I'm such a failure."

"No, you're not," Shelly disagreed. "You're helping me now. So, Chansey's in a dungeon? Why?"

"Helping wounded Pokemon, like always," Glameow replied, retrieving the bowl. "Now, go back to your room and lay down. This is supposed to make you drowsy after a bit."

"Drowsy?" Shelly nodded and stumbled back to her room. _Drowzee...That's right, I beat him. But how did I do it? It doesn't make any sense. And this headache didn't start up until after he was beaten and I woke up. I wonder what happened..._


	5. Time Gears and Mysteries

It was storming that night. The rain lashed against the windows and lightning flashed. Thunder was booming, scaring the younger apprentices at the guild. Flare was looking out the window of their room when a flash of lightning startled her.

"Wow, that lightning's intense!" she said. "It looks like it's really stormy tonight..."

"I know," Shelly mumbled sleepily. She was drowsy from the medicine but still couldn't fall asleep.

"Hold on!" Flare barked. "You know the night before we met, Shelly? It was storming that night. Alani and I found you unconscious on the beach after that stormy night, Shelly. Well? Do you remember anything about being unconscious on the beach? Can you remember anything at all?"

 _I wonder... Hmm..._ Shelly thought. _There was a storm...but how did I end up unconscious there?_ She thought a bit more before giving up. _Nope. I can't remember a thing._ "Nope."

"I guess it won't be that easy." Flare sighed. "But that's all right. Just try remembering a little at a time." She looked out the window again. "We have to get up early again tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."

"Sure, will do," Shelly muttered, tired. The medicine was kicking in now. "Night."

"Good night, Shelly."

They both fell asleep.

_Mt. Bristle Peak..._

The sounds of thunder echoed throughout the peak. A pair of glowing red eyes peered out from the hole that Drowzee claimed housed thief treasure. There was no thief treasure in there but something much more deadly. The room darkened and a lupine figure squeezed out of the hole. A necklace made of bright red stones hung around its neck with an Unown letter on the center stone, an A.

It was another Shadow Wolf.

Two more Shadow Wolves came from the now-dark walls. One had bright green stones around its neck, the other had bright blue. Both had the Unown letter G on the center stones. Both approached the wolf that came from the hole.

The bright green-stoned wolf spoke first. "Yuma, I'm surprised that you let those Pokemon get away without a scratch...from you, of course." It was a female wolf.

"Oh, shut up! They didn't get close enough!" growled the red-stoned wolf, Yuma. He growled angrily. "Plus, why are you blaming me? Those two little Pokemon, the mouse and the fox, were Enyeto's prey, not mine!"

The blue-stoned wolf sighed, nodding. "You are right, Yuma. It seems Enyeto didn't take his mission very seriously, did he? What do you think, Rozene?"

Rozene, the green-stoned wolf, huffed. "I believe that he was fooling around as usual. Enyeto never takes missions seriously, Kijika!"

Kijika, the blue-stoned wolf, nodded. "I must agree with you."

"Why not kill him now and be done with it? He's a nuisance as it is without him pulling a stunt like this!" Yuma barked.

"Would you rather waste a powerful wolf instead of an incompetent one?" Kijika demanded. "Do not forget, the one who eliminates them dies too!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Yuma whimpered, lowering his head.

"So that's why I was assigned with that particular mission," a voice said. "Not surprising, seeing you three plotting against me like this. It's sad actually, to know that my beloved clan-mates wish me to be dead. I feel terribly hurt."

"Enyeto, come out. We know you are here," Kijika ordered.

"Fine, fine, I'm here." Enyeto came out, wearing no stone collar. His clan-mates noticed immediately.

"Where is your collar?!" Rozene howled. "Do you not understand the pride of being part of one of the hunting troops? Why do you not wear your collar?!"

"What's the point of wearing it? It only weighs you down in hunts or kills," Enyeto asked. "Why do you want me dead, Kijika? Yuma? Rozene? What have I done to you three?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Yuma growled.

"Is it because the leader trusts me more than you three?" Enyeto suggested. "If so, do not fear. I intend on keeping my duty to the prophecy and simply being a hunter, like everyone else."

"Good. Now get out. We have no need to see you again, Enyeto." Kijika dismissed him with a flick of his ear.

Enyeto growled and jumped into the shadows, leaving.

"Now what?" Kijika asked.

"Keep an eye on him and make sure he keeps his promise," Rozene hissed.

"If that's all, we are dismissed too."

With that, the trio fled, unaware of another set of red eyes watching them.

"Hmmmm. So they are planning on killing Enyeto and claiming our leader's grace for themselves. Interesting plan. Hmmmm."

The red eyes vanished and another lupine shape vanished into the shadows. It was wearing a white stone collar with an Unown letter Q in the center stone.

_Wigglytuff's Guild..._

The rain was pounding even harder against the windows.

Flare opened one eye and groaned. "Listen, Shelly. Are you still awake?"

"Huh?" Shelly opened one eye. "I am now. What is it?"

"I've been thinking it over since it happened," Flare replied. "That strange dream you had, Shelly... Maybe it has to do with you personally."

 _Huh?_ Shelly thought.

"That's just the feeling I get. I sure don't know any other Pikachu who dreams about the future," Flare said. "And I've never heard of a human suddenly turning into a Pokemon either. That's why I think those two events are connected. I can't help feeling that way."

 _The key to unlocking my memory... Was it in that dream?_ Shelly wondered. _But even if that was true...how does it relate to anything else?_

"I have no way of knowing what you were like as a human, Shelly..." Flare admitted. "But I think you must've been a good person. After all, Shelly, it was your dream that helped us catch that bad Pokemon."

 _Bad Pokemon, huh..._ Shelly thought. _Oh! That reminds me of what Chatot said. That the growing number of bad Pokemon has been caused by time going out of whack._

"You know...time is getting messed up, bit by bit, all over the world," Flare recalled. "No one seems to know why. But everyone believes that the Time Gears are involved somehow."

 _Huh? Time Gears?_ Shelly thought.

"They say Time Gears are hidden in secret places around the world," Flare explained. "Like in a forest...or at a lake in an underground cavern... I've even heard that there's a hidden altar inside of a volcano. At the center of such places...is what's known as a Time Gear. Time Gears serve a very important function. Each one protects time and keeps time flowing properly in its region."

"What happens if a region loses its Time Gear?" Shelly asked, fearing the answer.

"I don't really know the answer to that question, Shelly," Flare admitted. "But my guess is that if a Time Gear is removed from a region...the flow of that region will probably stop too. That's why everyone makes sure never to disturb the Time Gears. Everyone has long been certain that some kind of disaster would strike. So everyone stays away from the Time Gears and doesn't tamper with them. Even the most hardened criminal Pokemon know to avoid messing with them."

"Okay," Shelly muttered. _Who would mess with something that important? Whoever it is must be really stupid or really clever with a plan or something... But why would they do it?_

Shelly groaned, falling asleep. Flare soon fell asleep too.

_In a forest far away..._

The rain was blowing hard, making the rain feel like needles to any Pokemon that dared stray outside. Two Pokemon hidden by shadows raced down a path together. The duo finally reached a strange lake with a glowing blue gear floating at its center.

The larger shadowed figure stepped closer to the gear while the smaller one kept watch. "Do my eyes deceive me? Could it be...? Yes, it is!"

Lightning flashed, revealing the duo's identities. The bigger one was a Grovyle.

"We've finally found it, Cecil! A Time Gear! But...this is only the first of many..."

The smaller was a Treecko with milky eyes. He wore a watch on a chain around his neck. He was blind!

"Yes, sir. We must find the rest quickly, right?"

"Indeed, Cecil. Now let's go before someone spots us!" the Grovyle snapped, fleeing.

"Yes, sir!" The Treecko, Cecil, quickly followed Grovyle. "Wait for me, sir!"

_Shelly's dream..._

The Pikachu looked around the strange hallway she was walking through. It seemed to go on forever and ever yet she could see a red light at the end. She kept heading toward it despite the fact that she seemed to get farther away with each step. Suddenly, the floor moved below her and she was in front of the red light. Stepping inside, she shielded her eyes.

"Well, well, so the weakling decides to come see me! How kind of you," a cruel voice said sarcastically.

Lowering her arm, Shelly's eyes widened upon seeing another Pikachu. But this one was black with red eyes. The black Pikachu was standing in the middle of a strange room with stairs climbing along the walls and ceiling, waterfalls running up the walls instead of down, and rocks floating around the room.

"Whoa!" Shelly cried. "What is this place?"

"This is my little corner of your mind, Shelly," the black Pikachu replied, sitting down. "Come over here and maybe you'll understand." Seeing her hesitate, the black Pikachu waved a paw. "Come on, I don't bite...much."

"Like that makes me feel any better," Shelly muttered, walking over cautiously. _This has to be a dream. I'll wake up any minute now and this'll all just disappear._

"This isn't a dream, Shelly." The black Pikachu sighed. "I can hear your every thought. I'm the darker side of you, the side that likes to fight and kill. I'm your inner Shadow Pokemon, Shivani."

"Shivani? Shadow Pokemon?" Shelly repeated, confused. Then she remembered what happened at Mt. Bristle. It all made sense now, especially Flare's comment on her fur and electricity changing color. "You nearly killed Drowzee!"

"Yep, but he was trying to kill you," Shivani pointed out, running a paw along her left ear. "If you die, so do I. So, naturally, I came out and fought for you. I'm also the cause of your headache since your body couldn't handle the power of my negative electricity."

"Negative electricity?"

"Uh-huh." Shivani nodded. "What you normal Pokemon, at least the Electric-types, generate is called positive electricity. What I, as a Shadow Pokemon, generate is called negative electricity. It's more damaging and deadly, capable of killing Pokemon that are about ten levels below your current level. But it's hard for your pathetic body to handle, resulting in the headache."

"I guess that makes sense," Shelly muttered. _But she still tried to kill Drowzee. I don't want to kill anyone. Where did she come from anyways?_

Shivani groaned, running a paw over her face. "Didn't I tell you? I can hear what you're thinking! I tried to kill Drowzee because he nearly killed us. And I came into being the day you became a Pokemon, Shelly."

"Wait, do you know anything about me being a human?" Shelly demanded.

"Sorry, can't help you there." Shivani chuckled. "I don't know anything about you being human. I'm just as clueless as you are. I only know the things you know, except for some things that only I know."

"Like what?"

"Like the history of Shadow Pokemon and such. I also know—"

"That's quite enough, Shivani!" another voice snapped. "Don't try to corrupt your host's innocent mind! She's just a child!"

Whirling around, Shivani glared at a green and white figure hovering a few inches off the ground.

"What do you want, Mystic?!" she shouted.

Mystic, a Gardevoir, shook her head. "I'm here to ensure that you don't try to do anything dangerous to this child. Her injuries do end up becoming your injuries, too."

"Grrr!" Black electricity leaped from her cheeks and Shivani clenched her fists. "You're such an annoyance."

"And you are a pest, Shivani." Mystic raised a hand toward Shelly. "I believe it is time that you parted from your host, Shivani." Her hand started to glow. Shelly's body was glowing bright green. "Goodbye Shelly...and good luck."

"Wait a—"

Shelly was gone, vanished. Mystic vanished too, leaving Shivani all alone once more.

 _I really wish she could have stuck around longer,_ the Shadow Pikachu thought. _It gets lonely in here sometimes..._

_The next morning..._

"GET UP! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred yelled, walking down the halls.

"Ugh!" Flare groaned, rubbing her ears with a paw. "My ears are gonna break at this rate."

"Time to get up?" Shelly asked.

"Yeah, it is."

 _That dream last night... Was it real? Do I really have a Shadow Pokemon in my body? And who was that Gardevoir?_ Shelly sighed, getting up. _I won't get any answers lying around like this. Better get to work. It was probably a creepy dream that my mind made up thanks to Glameow's medicine. Yeah, that has to be it... But if this is true, the situation with Drowzee makes sense._

"Shelly! Stop daydreaming and let's go!" Flare barked from the door.

Standing up, the Pikachu raced after her to the main room. Halfway there, the duo crashed into a familiar black and white dog exiting her room.

"Ow! Watch where you're going!" It was Yena the Mightyena, leader of the Gold-ranked Team Yena. "Stupid brats." She stalked down to the main room, following the calls of her teammates and Loudred.

"That hurt," the Vulpix muttered. "Shelly, are you okay? I've heard that Yena's mean but this takes the cake. Couldn't she see that it was an accident?" Then she noticed that Shelly wasn't talking. "Shelly are you okay? Shelly?"

The dizziness was back, along with the flashing lights. _Another dizzy spell,_ Shelly thought, not hearing Flare's voice. _What is it this time? Man, I feel sick. Just make it end, please!_

A single flash of light crossed her vision and it started. _A young Poochyena was sitting in the middle of a field. She looked lonely and looked over at her siblings happily play while she was in time-out for being too rough. It wasn't her fault that they were all weaker than her. She looked up at the sky and saw brown feathers raining down on her. She smiled upon seeing a Spearow and jumped up, chasing him. It was playtime!_

The vision ended and Shelly snapped awake. She looked up to Sparks right in her face.

"Hey, you're awake! I told you that the ladies like me," he gloated, smirking at Chatot.

"Are you okay? We bumped into Yena and suddenly, you passed out on me. It was almost like what happened in Treasure Town when you had that—uh oh!" Flare lowered her head.

"Had what? What happened to my sweetheart in Treasure Town?" Sparks asked.

"Your sweetheart?" Flare repeated.

"Yeah, I officially love Shelly. Get over it, foxy!" the Pikachu snapped. "Now what happened to her? I'll kill whoever hurt her, I swear!"

"Calm down, Sparks." Shelly groaned, sitting up. "I just had a bad Oran Berry and got sick, that's all. I told Flare not to tell anyone because it would be embarrassing to me." _Nice save, Shelly. I just hope it works._

"How can getting sick be embarrassing?" Sparks asked.

"Well, she did come visit me last night after everyone else had left," Glameow suggested. "Maybe she doesn't like anybody seeing her sick."

"You girls are so strange yet so beautiful," Sparks chuckled.

"Hush now!" Chatot cawed. "I believe we should return to the main room and finish our cheers. I also have a few announcements to make. Now hurry along, all of you!"

Returning to the main room, they finished their cheers. Then Chatot stepped forward.

"I have a few announcements to make before you all go back to work," he said. "First, everyone is to keep an eye out during missions for strange wolf-like creatures."

"Wolf-like creatures?" Flare repeated, looking at Shelly in fear. _Shadow Wolves!_ "Why, Chatot?"

"Many Pokemon have reported seeing these mysterious creatures roaming the land. They usually avoid Pokemon but there have recently been letters that state these creatures are attacking and kidnapping Pokemon. Why, I do not know," Chatot explained. "But I do know that these mysterious creatures are become quite the problem. I want everyone on the lookout for them on your missions."

"Sir, I think Shelly and I saw one on our way to save Azurill yesterday," Flare piped up.

"What?!" Chatot squawked. "Are you sure it was one of these creatures?"

"Absolutely, sir!" Shelly nodded. "He said he was a Shadow Wolf named Enyeto."

"Shadow Wolf?" Doom growled. "What's a Shadow Wolf?"

"It's probably what those things are called," Meowth replied, waving a gloved paw. "Do you know anything else about that wolf, Team Moonlight?"

"He could teleport through shadows and make any brightly lit place dark. He turned the room we were in pitch black and came in through the floor," Flare added.

"Eek! That sounds like a really bad guy, that's for sure!" Sunflora cried. "Oh my gosh! I wonder why he went after you two?"

"It was probably just a coincidence that one of those creatures encountered an exploration team," Yena said. "So, did you fight it?"

"We tried to but we couldn't land a hit," Shelly admitted. "He kept teleporting around. He didn't even fight back."

"Tch! Pathetic!" Yena barked. "Either these creatures can't fight or decided that you rookies were too weak to beat it."

"Yena!" Fear cried. "Be nice. Sure, it was probably the latter, but at least they tried."

"Trying doesn't save lives, Fear!" Yena howled.

"Hush now, all of you!" Chatot shouted, silencing the group. "Well, it seems these wolves are a problem. Keep an eye out for them. Now, onto my next and final announcement: it seems that many stone statues of Pokemon are being found throughout several mystery dungeons. The creator of these works of art is currently unknown. Make sure to check them out if you come across one."

"Stone statues? I hope we see one, Shelly," Flare whispered. "That would be so cool!"

"I agree," Shelly nodded. _So, it wasn't just us that the Shadow Wolves are attacking. I don't know why but something tells me that the stone statues and the Shadow Wolves are connected. But how?_

"All right, Pokemon! Get back to work!" Chatot ordered.

"HOORAY!" everyone cheered, scattering.

"Shelly, let's do our best as always," Flare said.

"Of course. Let's go save some Pokemon!" the Pikachu cheered, climbing the ladder to the floor above them.

Looking through the letters of Pokemon needing saving, they came across two letters from Beach Cave and another from Drenched Bluff. Taking them, they left the guild and headed for Bach Cave. Going through the first three floors, they rescued the lost Lantern and gave the Blast Seed to the Goldeen. Deciding to keep exploring, they went on after saving the duo.

It didn't take long for them to reach the Beach Cave Pit. Just as Flare grabbed her badge, Shelly noticed something.

"Hey, Flare, look! It's one of those Pokemon statues!" she said, pointing to it.

"You're right, Shelly! Let's check it out!" Flare nodded, heading over to it.

The statue was of a Shellos made of stone, hiding its blue and green colors. Its eyes were wide and its mouth was open in a silent scream. Then the Pikachu noticed the three slash marks decorating the side of the statue. Looking at the water, she saw it had turned a pale red.

"Flare, something's wrong here," she whispered.

"Like what?" Then the Vulpix noticed the water's odd coloring. "Shelly, someone must be hurt in here! We have to find them!" Running around the room, Flare searched frantically for the wounded Pokemon. "Shelly, help me!"

"Flare, look at the statue!" Shelly yelled. "It has three slash marks on its side and there's blood in the water! Something tells me this isn't a statue!"

"How do you know?!"

"I'll touch it and see if I get another dream, like with Azurill," Shelly replied. "If I do, then I say we hightail it outta here fast."

Flare quietly walked over. "If you say so, Shelly." She nodded.

Shelly reached out and touched the statue. A few seconds passed before the dizziness came. Then a few flashes of lights and the vision began.

_The Shellos was back up by the water in Beach Cave Pit, staring in horror at the lupine monster standing before it._

_"Say goodbye, little one," the monster said, lunging in for a bite. "Stone Bite!"_

_Pulling away, the monster's claws tore along the Shellos' side as the bite vanished. Stone crept along its skin as the Shellos screamed, only to be silenced as it fully turned to stone. The lupine creature fled, vanishing into the shadows._

The vision ended and Shelly stumbled backward, shocked. _I was right! The wolves are connected to the statues!_

"Shelly, what did you see?" Flare demanded.

"This isn't a statue, Flare. It's a real Pokemon turned to stone by a Shadow Wolf!" the Pikachu whimpered. "Flare, we've gotta get outta here before it comes back!"

"Right! We have to tell the Guild about this and your visions!" Flare grabbed her badge and the duo was teleported away in a flash of light.

Once they were gone, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared. "Darn, I missed. I guess I'll have to come earlier next time." The eyes vanished once more.

_Wigglytuff's Guild..._

"It's true!" Flare shouted. "Shelly touched the statue and had a vision of the Pokemon turning to stone! The Shadow Wolves are turning real Pokemon into stone statues!"

"Is that really true, sweetheart?" Sparks asked, looking at Shelly.

"Yeah, it is true. What reason would I have to lie to you guys?" Shelly replied. "None at all. I can see visions but they come unexpectedly. They don't come when I want them to."

"Well, visions seem pretty unlikely," Fang muttered, his forked tail twitching. "But if this is true, you have quite the mysterious ability. And those wolves would be the cause of an even greater problem."

"Not greater than the Time Gears possibly being stolen!" Daisy the Charmeleon growled. "Someone has to be stealing the Time Gears if time is going out of whack now!"

"Hush now!" Chatot squawked. "This is quite the problem but we have other things to do, too. We'll keep an eye out for any more reports on these Shadow Wolves and if anyone encounters one, avoid conflict. If it can turn Pokemon to stone with a bite, we'll only end up with casualties."

"Yes, sir!" everyone groaned.

"Good! Now—" Chimecho's bell for dinner started ringing. "Everyone, head for dinner. Get a good night's rest and prepare for tomorrow!"

"HOORAY!"

Everyone but Team Moonlight ran down the hallway to the mess hall.

"Shelly, are you okay?" Flare asked. "I know this is hard, you having to see all of those visions. Sure, they're helpful but it's hard for others to believe it. But I'll stay by your side now matter what! I promise!"

 _Flare, you don't have to worry,_ Shelly thought. _I don't care if nobody believes me. As long as you do, I don't care about anything else._ "Let's go get dinner." Shelly suggested.

"Yeah!"

The duo raced down the hall to eat dinner. Once they were done, they returned to their room to sleep.

"Night, Shelly."

"Good night, Flare."

 _I wonder how Auntie is doing. Does she know mom is dead?_ Flare thought. _I hope she's okay. Father probably wouldn't hesitate in killing her if she attacked him. Please be okay, Auntie. Please be okay..._

_In the future..._

Scarface panted, walking along the rough stone path. She had been traveling for hours, maybe days, and still no sign of life in this desolate place. Suddenly, she heard a familiar laughter.

"Whe he he!"

Sableye! She broke into a run, desperate to escape.

As she was running, she noticed something orange flying above her. A blast of fire crashed into the ground behind her, forcing the Sableye to halt. As they screeched in rage, she heard a voice yell.

"Follow me, brat!"

Chasing after the Pokemon, which she identified as a Charizard, she saw a huge crater up ahead. _Dark Crater? Why bring me here?_ Nonetheless, she kept following until he landed near the edge.

"Why did you help me?" she demanded.

"Everyone needs help in this day and age, brat. I'm just making sure nobody else dies around here. I hate those Sableye just as much as you do," Charizard replied. "You'll be safer here since nobody even dares to come here anymore."

"You and I are here, aren't we?"

"Indeed, we are." He nodded. "You might find someone to protect you in here. At least until this world is destroyed by those three brats for a better future."

"A better future? What do you mean by that?" Scarface asked.

"This isn't how our world is supposed to be." Charizard chuckled. "This is a terrible future that three of my friends are going to stop through the past. I've done what I could and now I'm just waiting for our destruction."

"What friends?"

"A Grovyle, a Treecko, and a human."

"A human?!"

"Yeah, a human. Don't ask, it's a long story and I'm not willing to tell anyone about it," Charizard grumbled. "Just stay here where you're safe. I've heard of an old Ninetales that lives here. Maybe he can help you."

"I'll see if I can find him." Scarface bowed her head. "Thank you for your assistance, Charizard. It will not be forgotten."

"Forget about it, brat. We won't have much time left if those two get this right," Charizard said, spreading his wings.

In moments, he soared away and vanished from sight. The Charizard was gone.

Scarface turned and slowly went down the walls of the crater. Suddenly, a black Ninetales landed in front of her. Gasping, she scrambled backward.

"You!" she hissed. "What do you want?!"

"I'm wonder why you're on my territory, female," the black Ninetales replied. "Why are you here? Judging from your scars, you're an exile. If I killed you, no one would know."

"Go ahead and kill me. I've lost everything as it is," Scarface growled. "Death would be a blessing right now."

After a few seconds, the black Ninetales turned and left. Signaling with a single black tail, Scarface reluctantly followed.

 _So, this is where he lives now. I've heard rumors of him being able to summon demon fire and of him not being a normal Pokemon. What are you?_ "You are Dark of the legends, correct? Why take pity on me?"

"Because you've gone through the same loss as I have," the black Ninetales, Dark, said softly. "I care for all the exiles since they are like me, abandoned and forgotten for one reason or another. But I'm guessing a Shadow Pokemon like myself wouldn't understand how you normal ones feel, right?"

"Of course!" Scarface hissed. "You are different than we are. Many consider you Shadow Pokemon as evil!"

"So, because I am different means I am evil?" Dark repeated. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd all become saints against us. We are no different from you aside from color and power, that is all."

Scarface remained silent. They entered a large cave to see fellow Ninetales inside. Most were females with scars while a few were just exiled males in search of a new home. All of them were happy, going about life as if they had never been exiled. Young pups born from exiled females play together without restraint, free to do as they pleased inside the cave. She even noticed a few elders gathered and talking together, almost as if they had forgotten the one they were talking to was supposed to be their worst enemy.

"Do you like it?" Dark asked. "This way, no one is ever truly lonely in this world."

Looking at the pups, Charizard's words came back to her. _"This is a terrible future that two of my friends are going to stop through the past. I've done what I could and now I'm just waiting for our destruction."_

Those pups would never get to grow up. They'd die so young. That wasn't fair! Why must they die for a better future that they could not be a part of? Why?! Tears filled her eyes.

"Are you all right?" Dark asked.

Sniffing, she lowered her head. "Yes, I'm just...thinking about what an old wanderer told me earlier. That's all, really."

"...All right." Dark led her to a group of female Ninetales with their pups. "Ladies, please take care of her. She's new and scared, so treat her nicely."

"Of course!" a young Ninetales with a shredded right ear nodded. "Come over here, darling. Girls, move it, we have a new one!"

Lying down, she smiled. "Thank you," Scarface said.

"Of course, darling," the Ninetales replied. "Dark has been caring for all of us for as long as I can remember. Even old Moss has lived longer than I though he could. It's like an aura in here gives us all the strength to live on despite what we've gone through."

"I agree." Scarface sighed, resting her head on her paws. "I'm Scarface."

"I'm Tornear, darling. Pleased to meet you," the shredded-ear Ninetales replied. "Have a nice rest."

"Thanks." Scarface fell asleep, feeling safe at last. But she still couldn't get Dark and Charizard out of her head. _If our future will be destroyed, will we all die? Why? When? How?_


	6. Missions and Sentry Duty

"GET UP! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed.

"Ugh!" Shelly groaned, rubbing her ears. Despite the loudness of his voice, the Pikachu was starting to get used to the wake-up call. Looking over to her partner and friend, she smiled. _I'm glad Flare's here to help me. At least she understands my visions better than anyone else in the guild._

"Is it morning already?" the Vulpix whimpered, stretching her front paws as she yawned.

"Yeah, it's morning." Shelly nodded. "We better go to the main room and get prepared for today."

"Yeah, we should."

Getting up, the duo trudged to the main room.

After finishing their cheers, Chatot ordered Team Moonlight to do missions as usual. They picked another Drenched Bluff mission, totaling two missions to do. Heading for Drenched Bluff, they saved the lost Starly and the nearly-unconscious Buneary. Testing themselves, they continued on. They left after reaching the top floor, finding no Pokemon statues in the dungeon. They were thankful to not see one.

After dinner that night, the duo was about to fall asleep when a Pokemon poked their head into Team Moonlight's room. It was Glameow.

"Sorry. Am I disturbing anything?" she asked softly.

"Aside from our sleep, no. Why?" Shelly asked.

"Oh, it can wait for later."

As the gray cat made to leave, Flare caught her tail and yanked her back in.

"It's okay, really," the Vulpix reassured her. "What's wrong, Glameow? You can tell us."

"Well..." Glameow looked away in shame. "I was wondering if you'd go with me tomorrow to Beach Cave. I've been assigned a mission to check out that Shellos statue you saw and I don't want to go alone. Please, would you go with me?"

"Can't you go yourself?" Shelly asked.

"Well, I'm... I'm..." Glameow sighed sadly. "I can't fight."

"What? What do you mean 'can't fight'?" Flare asked. "Everyone can fight. Is it that you're afraid of fighting or something?"

"It's both, Flare!" Glameow whined. "I can't fight because I'm a coward. I've never managed to go through a dungeon completely without fainting or running away within the first two floors. I'm such a coward!" She buried her face in her paws, crying.

"...Whoa," Shelly muttered.

"Glameow, we'll go with you," Flare reassured her. "We'll go as many times as we need to so you can see that statue. We'll get you there no matter what. Right, Shelly?"

"Sure, why not?" the Pikachu chuckled. "We've never been on a mission to protect anyone before. This will just add a new twist to things."

"I guess that means yes." Flare nodded.

"You bet it does! We'll get you to that statue, Glameow! We promise!" Shelly cried.

Glameow looked shocked before she smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry if I trouble you too much. This'll really help me and I could find a cure for those poor Pokemon."

"Sure, whatever!" Shelly waved a paw. "You find your cure and we'll fight all those enemy Pokemon aiming to hurt you."

"Thank you. I'm indebt to you, truly I am." Glameow pounced out the door, smiling. _Maybe I'll finally make it through a dungeon this time. I just hope Team Moonlight will be okay protecting me. I'd hate to be a bother to them. I'd really hate that._

"Well, good night," Shelly muttered.

"Good night, Shelly," Flare replied.

The two curled up, falling asleep.

_Team Frostburn's room..._

Molt sighed, yawning. He and his brother had become Level 17 and were nearly to Silver Rank. But the Flareon had other things on his mind instead of the guild. He was thinking of Flare, the beautiful fox Pokemon that had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere in Treasure Town a little over three months ago.

Molt sighed.

Freeze, his Glaceon brother, gave him an angry look. "Are you still thinking of that weakling Vulpix? Honestly, I don't get how you can like her," he growled.

"Shut up!" Molt barked, jumping to his feet. "I wouldn't expect you to understand how I feel. All you ever want to do is train, train, train, train! You have no sense of fun at all!"

"Fun is for slackers, Molt," Freeze replied, resting his head on his paws. "This is our job. And when you do a job, you must do it seriously."

"Is that why you pick really hard missions when it's your turn to pick one?"

"Yes, it is," Freeze spat. "How can you expect to grow stronger if we pick easy missions like you always do?"

"Missions don't always have to be work. We can have fun while we're doing it," Molt pointed out. "Besides, all the ones you pick are ones that involve criminals."

"Defeating criminals is the best way to grow strong, Molt," Freeze stated, scratching one ear with a hind paw. "That's all that matters to me. Now go to sleep. It's my turn so tomorrow, we do things my way. And no more talk of that Vulpix, you got that?"

"Yes, Freeze," Molt whimpered, curling up in bed. _Why is my brother so cruel? Grr! I hate him. I hate him so much! I don't care what he says. Tomorrow, I'm going to see Flare. There's something I gotta give her._

With that planned out, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Freeze rolled over, unable to sleep. _Why is Molt so stubborn? Doesn't he get that Flare is too weak for him to being paying so much attention to? I'm sure Molt hates me now, but I do have a reason for acting this way toward him. I'm just not in the mood to tell anyone why._

Finally, he curled up and fell asleep.

_The next morning..._

"GET UP! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred shouted as he walked up and down the hallway.

"Morning?" Shelly asked sleepily.

"Yep, time to get up," Flare muttered, rubbing her eyes.

As the duo stretched and woke up, Glameow poked her head in. "Are you guys still going to go with me to Beach Cave? If you have other things to do, I can ask another team to go with me," she reminded them.

"No, we'll go with you," Flare replied. "Shelly, let's go."

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Shelly barked. _I haven't had anymore dreams of that Shadow Pokemon or that Gardevoir since we left Mt. Bristle. Maybe I was right and it was a side effect of Glameow's medicine. But I have a bad feeling that I'm wrong._

As the trio entered the main room, the cheers ended and Chatot raised a wing for silence.

"I have a quick, and sad, announcement to make today," the bird said, hanging his head. "A young female Ninetales was found brutally murdered in Treeshroud Forest yesterday night by patrol officers Twilight the Noctowl and Mr. Fearow."

"What? My dad was there?!" Fear squawked. "Is he okay? Tell me that my dad's okay!"

"Hush now!" Chatot screeched, silencing the chatter going through the guild. "Both patrol officers are perfectly well, aside from getting sick after seeing such a gruesome sight. It is presumed that the Ninetales was murdered by a Shadow Wolf or another canine Pokemon, judging from the fang left behind in her torn-out throat. Sheriff Magnezone has advised all Pokemon to be on the look-out for suspicious activity."

Flare started shaking in fear. _A female Ninetales with her throat torn out by a large canine Pokemon. It sounds exactly how my mother died. Is this a coincidence or did father plan to scare me with this? But how did he get mom's body to the past? He can't travel through time...right?_

"Alright, move it! Outta the way for the detective!" a loud voice barked. A large purple dog wearing a brown trench coat and a detective's cap crawled down the ladder, landing heavily. Turning around, Shelly saw a pipe dangling from his fanged jaws. "Alright, where's Meowth of Team Thief? Come out, I don't have all day!"

"Who's that?" Shelly asked.

"That's Detective Granbull, the guy I told you about when you asked about 'Aolani," Flare replied. "He's also Snubbull of Team Thief's father."

Snubbull growled, stepping in front of his leader. "Dad, what do you want now?" he demanded. "Meowth did nothing, I swear!"

"Outta the way, my boy. I need to have a word with your leader, 'Cat Burglar' Meowth." Granbull huffed, gently pushing his son out of the way to confront the feline. "Now come quietly or I'll use force, cat. I now you're the one who killed that poor Ninetales last night!"

"What?!" Meowth yelped. "You're kiddin' me, right? How could I have done that?!"

"He's right, sir," Marill added, her tail twitching slightly. It was obvious that she was nervous. "We went to Treeshroud Forest in the morning, not at night. Our leader couldn't have done it."

"Yeah! Plus, it was a canine's tooth, not a feline's, you dimwit mutt!" Meowth spat, unsheathing his claws. "I didn't do it! Ask anyone here, I was here the whole night!"

"You're still coming down to the station with me, little kitty," Granbull growled, grabbing Meowth's gloved paw.

Meowth howled in pain, ripping his claws across Granbull's paw to free himself.

"Yeowch! What'd I tell you?! Once a criminal, always a criminal!"

"He only scratched you because you hurt his paw, you dumb dog!" Meowsy hissed, leaping to her lover's side and unsheathing her claws. "I swear, you're getting dumber as you grow older. Why don't you retire, old man?"

"I am not retiring until I see that thieving cat behind bars!" Granbull barked. "He can't keep hiding behind his exploration team forever, you know! I'll get you one day, I swear I will!"

"Hush now, all of you!" Chatot squawked. "Detective Granbull, I can see where you're coming from, given Meowth's background, but I can assure you that he was here the entire night. Even ask Scythe. He always keeps watch and can't sleep thanks to his insomnia. He would've noticed if Meowth had left."

"Hah! See, what'd I tell you!" Meowth laughed. "I didn't do it! Sure, I was bad in the past but I've changed my ways now. So quit treating me like a criminal, darn it!"

Granbull huffed, clambering up the ladders. Once he was gone, Team Thief relaxed again. 

_Those guys must really hate Detective Granbull,_ Shelly thought. _But Granbull is Snubbull's father. Can he really hate his own dad? And was Meowth telling the truth about the Ninetales? What about what Meowth mentioned about being a former criminal? Man, this is all so confusing!_

"Meowth was an old criminal, you know," Flare muttered. "A real elusive thief, he was. Even Detective Granbull and Sheriff Magnezone couldn't catch him. Then he appeared one day in Treasure Town out of the rain and handed himself in. His paw, the one covered in the glove, was all bloody and stuff. Guildmaster Wigglytuff offered to try and reform him into an exploration team member. So far, it seemed to have worked but Granbull still treats him like a criminal."

"How do you know that, Flare?" Shelly asked.

"Molt of Team Frostburn was here when it all happened, along with Freeze," Flare replied. "They were the ones who told Wigglytuff about Granbull's plans to execute Meowth and gave him the idea to reform Meowth. I found out from them."

"Oh." Shelly nodded. _At least he wasn't executed. What did he do that made him turn himself in? And what's he hiding under that glove?_

"Well, that's all I have for today. Time to get to work, everybody!" Chatot cried.

"HOORAY!" everyone cheered, heading to work.

Gathering the proper supplies and depositing any loose poke, Team Moonlight and Glameow headed for Beach Cave.

Stopping near the cave's entrance, they turned to the apprentice nurse.

"Ready, Glameow?" Flare asked.

"Don't worry, we'll protect you," Shelly added. "No Pokemon's gonna hurt you while Team Moonlight's around!"

Glameow sighed, looking fearfully at the cave's entrance. "Yes, I...I think I'm ready. Let's go!" she cried.

"Gladly!" the Pikachu laughed, racing inside.

The trio charged inside, preparing to fight until they reached Beach Cave Pit again. They were doing fine until they reached the fourth floor, realizing something once they found the stairs.

"Is it just me or is it getting darker in here?" Shelly asked.

 _No, not again!_ "Run for it, Glameow!" Flare shouted.

"What is it?" Glameow cried. "What's wrong?"

"Shadow Wolf! Let's get out of here!" Shelly yelled.

As the trio bolted for the stairs, the room turned pitch black and a lupine figure leapt out of the floor between them and the staircase. Skidding to a stop, they backed up.

"Oh man, not again!" the Pikachu said.

"Oh yes, _again_!" a raspy voice growled. A pair of red eyes glared at them from the canine's face as it bared its fangs. A collar made of bright red stones gave the wolf a faint reddish glow. Engraved in Unown writing on the center stone was a P. "I don't see why Enyeto couldn't kill you two. It would be so easy to just sit on you and crush you that way."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Flare demanded. _This one's different than Enyeto. I'm guessing he's not going to let us go like he did, either. Looks like we really have to fight this time._

"What is that?" Glameow whispered.

"Shadow Wolf," Shelly replied.

"A Shadow Wolf? Here?!" Glameow hissed. "Oh no, we're going to die. Aren't these things murderers? It's going to kill us!"

"Right you are, little lady." The wolf chuckled, licking his lips. He crouched, ready to pounce. "Now die!"

As he launched himself into the air, the trio screamed. Suddenly, a second wolf wearing a white stone collar crashed into the wolf from underneath, throwing him into a wall. The Unown letter Q was engraved in it.

"Hmmmmmm... Sorry but this is Enyeto's prey, correct?" the second wolf asked. "What gives you the right to kill them, Lakota? Hmmmmmm?"

"What are you doing here?!" the wolf, Lakota, snarled. "Are you betraying us, Nocona?!"

The second Shadow Wolf looked up, unfazed by the accusation. "Hmmmmmm... So, you're accusing me of a betrayal when you yourself are going against orders? Hmmmmmm?" he asked.

"Grrrrrr! You little snake in the grass!"

Lakota howled, launching himself at Nocona's throat. The smaller Shadow Wolf ducked, attacking Lakota's unprotected belly as he soared overhead. Crashing into the floor, the two dueling wolves never noticed the trio of small Pokemon race down the stairs and away from the fighting wolves.

"That was too close!" Flare cried, panting as she sunk to the floor.

"I was so scared that he was going to kill us," Glameow agreed. "But why did that other wolf save us?"

"Probably so he could kill us himself!" Shelly answered. "Well, we're here. I told you we'd get you to the bottom floor to see this statue. What do you think?"

Padding up to it, Glameow looked it over. She clawed a bit of the stone off, depositing it in her bag for research purposes. Growing bored, Shelly walked to the water's edge and peered in, watching the tiny waves rippling across its clear surface. Then she noticed a fishy face looking back at her.

"Eek!"

"What is it? Are we being attacked again?!" Glameow yelped.

"No, that fish just scared me!" the Pikachu admitted, pointing to the brown fish poking its head out of the water. It shot water from its mouth at Shelly, getting her soaked. "Eek! Stop that, you dumb fish!"

"It's a Feebas, Shelly. They're practically harmless to us." Flare chuckled, pushing the gasping fish back underwater so it could breathe again. "They're ugly and dumb, but they turn into beautiful and smart creatures when they evolve. We don't have to worry about them."

"Ugh! Yuck!" Shelly spat, rubbing the water off her face. "I _hate_ that fish!"

"Hate it as much as you want, Shelly," Glameow purred. "It either won't care or won't understand that you hate it. They're that dumb."

"A dumb fish can't squirt water at a Pokemon and that one did! He's not dumb, he's smart but stupid!" Shelly argued.

"That made no sense whatsoever, Shelly." Flare laughed.

"So what? It makes sense to me!" the Pikachu whined, crossing her arms and glaring at the water. "Stupid fish..."

"I have what I need, guys!" Glameow called. "We can go home now!"

"Finally! See you, fishy!"

Raising their badges, the trio teleported back to the guild in time for dinner.

"Thank you once again for helping me. As a reward, please have these." Glameow pushed two Reviver Seeds forward. "You'll need them more than I will."

"Reviver Seeds!" Flare smiled. "Thanks, Glameow! We will need these, I know we will!"

"I'm glad!" Glameow nodded. "Please take care on your missions. You're the first friends I've actually made in the guild besides Persia and Nurse Chansey."

 _Persia? That Persian from Team Crimson?_ An image of the menacing Persian popped into Shelly's head. _Why would a guy like him be friends with an apprentice nurse? It seems a bit odd to me._ "You're friends with Persia?" the Pikachu asked.

"Oh, yes, I am! He's very nice and collects seeds, berries, and herbs for me when he's on missions," Glameow said. "He's a bit rough around the edges but he's nice, really! He just doesn't like showing his nice side in front of his team."

"He seemed a bit...mean. To me, at least!" Flare quickly added.

"Yes, he does have his temper tantrums." Glameow nodded. "But trust me, he's a really nice guy once you get past his rough exterior. At least he's nice to me."

"Well... Good for you?" Shelly chuckled nervously. She hated to admit it but that feline Persia gave her the creeps. He looked at her as if she were food just waiting to be eaten. It was scary, actually. "Well, I'm going to bed. Night!" She dashed down the hallway to their room.

"Good night, Glameow!" Flare said, following her partner. As she walked, she nearly ran into Molt. "Oh, Molt! What are you doing here?"

"Uh... Hi, Flare! I was just, uh..." The Flareon forced himself to get it together. "I wanted to give you this!"

He held out a bright red sphere with splashes of orange and yellow inside of it, forming a flame.

"Ah! A Fiery Globe!" Flare gasped. "How did you get it?"

"Well, it took a long time to find but I found it," Molt said, embarrassed. "This way, Shelly won't have to always save you from Water-type attacks. The Fiery Globe—"

"Protects against damage from water-type moves," the two Fire-types said at the same time.

"...Wow..." Molt whispered.

"Um... Thanks, Molt. I'll keep it with me always, I promise," the Vulpix said, smiling. She placed the Fiery Globe in her bag amongst her most treasured belongings. "Thank you. But I have nothing to give you. Oh!"

She dug through her bag until she pulled out a bright red collar with a fire-shaped tag attached to it.

"That's a Fire Collar!" Molt cried. "It can randomly inflict the burn condition upon your opponents if they hit you with a physical move! They're really hard to find!"

"I just found one lying around before I came to Treasure Town," Flare explained. "I've been carrying it around ever since. You keep it, Molt. You'll need it more than I will with all the hard missions your team goes on. Besides, you found me a rare item and I might as well return the favor."

"Thanks, Flare. This might save my life one day," Molt predicted.

"I hope so, Molt. Good night!"

Before leaving, she kissed him on the cheek. Then she fled to the room she and her partner stayed in.

Molt stood there in shock for a few minutes before recovering and returning to his room.

"She kissed me," he muttered, blushing. "Does she like me too?"

Back in Team Moonlight's room, Flare curled up in bed. Noticing the blush, Shelly smirked.

"Why are you blushing, Flare? Did you meet Molt on your way here?" she asked.

"Well, yes. He had something to give me and I gave something back to him. That's all, really," the Vulpix explained. "Good night, Shelly."

 _So she did meet him again,_ Shelly thought, smiling. "Okay, I get it. Good night, Flare."

"Get what?"

"That you're madly in love with that Flareon, Molt."

"I am not!"

"You are!"

"I'm not!"

"GO TO SLEEP!" Loudred's voice roared through the hall.

Falling silent, the two Team Moonlight members glared at one another.

"Good night," they said, curling up with their backs to each other.

_The next morning..._

"GET UP! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred shouted from the hall.

"I wish we had a different wake-up call, Flare," Shelly complained, sitting up to rub her ears. "That one's _way_ too noisy!"

"Unfortunately, we must deal with it, Shelly," Flare replied, yawning as she stood up. "Let's go get ready for work today."

"Fine, let's go!" Shelly agreed, racing out the door.

After their morning cheers were done, Chatot gave yet another announcement.

"Er, ahem. Everyone, listen up! I have an important announcement to make. Far to the northeast, and then farther into its outermost reaches, there lies a place called Treeshroud Forest. In Treeshroud Forest, time has apparently stopped."

"Huh?!" Diglett cried.

"Eek! What did you say?!" Sunflora yelped, waving her leaves frantically.

"You did not just say what I thought you said, right?" Fang demanded, fear appearing in his eyes.

"You're saying time has stopped? Hey, hey, hey!" Corphish barked.

"But how?" Meowsy whimpered, clutching Meowth's arm. "Time doesn't just stop like that!"

"Hah! I told you! Was it a Time Gear? Huh?" Daisy asked, flaming tail whipping around happily.

"Yes, that's correct..." Chatot admitted. "Time has come to a standstill in Treeshroud Forest. The wind has stopped, the clouds are motionless, and dewdrops on leaves won't fall. They just hang there, suspended. In Treeshroud Forest, time has truly stopped."

"T-time has stopped?!" Dugtrio muttered.

"But... How could something this awful happen?" Sunflora asked.

"Maybe Arceus is mad at us?" Luna suggested. The Pichu looked up at the ceiling. "What could we have done to get Arceus angry though?"

"It's unthinkable!" Sunflora suddenly cried.

"Yes, the unthinkable has happened." Chatot nodded. Everyone fell silent to listen to him. "Why has Time stopped in Treeshroud Forest? Well, it's because Treeshroud Forest's Time Gear was...stolen!"

"I knew it!" the Charmeleon shouted. "I told you that the Time Gears were connected to time getting out of whack! Take that, Chatot!"

"Huh?!" Bidoof gasped.

"A Time Gear was s-stolen?!" Diglett shivered.

"That's what made time stop! Hey, hey, hey!" Corphish concluded, raising a claw.

"I'd heard it was impossible!" Chimecho muttered. "But now it's really happened!"

"But stealing a Time Gear's unthinkable!" Sparks said. "Why would anyone steal one? Don't they know that a disaster could happen if they're all taken from their rightful spots?!"

"Either they want that or are too stupid to know!" Doom snarled, his forked tail thrashing around. "Team Houndoom will find the thief and bring them to justice!"

"I don't get it though! Why would ANYONE steal a Time Gear?!" Loudred bellowed.

"Quiet, everyone!" Chatot cried. Everyone fell silent again. "Officer Magnezone and Detective Granbull have already started an investigation. It is hard to believe that anyone would dare steal a Time Gear. But if one Time Gear can be stolen, the others may also be in danger. The officer has asked to be notified immediately if we notice any suspicious characters. So keep that in mind. Let us know if you notice anything! That is all."

"Scary!" Mimi the Buneary whispered to her friends. "The thief could be anyone we see!"

"All right, everyone! Here's to another busy day of work!" Chatot cried.

"HOORAY!" everyone cried, heading for whatever they planned to do that day.

Team Moonlight attempted to leave for the upper floor when a familiar loudmouth shouted for them.

"HEY, you two!" Loudred came over. "We need your help with something today!" He led the duo over to Diglett and a hole in the ground with a plant growing out of it. "Diglett, I brought them!"

"Thank you, Loudred." Diglett nodded.

"You two are doing sentry duty today!" Loudred cried, pointing to Shelly and Flare.

"Sentry...duty?" Shelly asked, confused.

"Sorry," Diglett apologized. "I'm usually the one to do sentry duty. But today, my dad gave me his duty of updating the boards. That's why I can't man my post. It would be great if someone could take over my sentry duty for today. And that's why you're here. Please do a good job for me. Bye!"

He vanished underground.

"Hey! He never gave us a chance to say no!" Shelly complained, stomping her foot angrily.

"Please calm down, Shelly," Flare muttered. "I'm sure Diglett had his reasons. Maybe someone else can do it."

"...And that's THAT!" Loudred smirked.

"Huh?!" Flare cried. "I didn't follow that at all! How are we involved in this?"

"Maybe _you_ should calm down, Flare." Shelly giggled.

"Shut your YAP!" Loudred yelled. "NO MORE BELLYACHING! GO DO YOUR DUTY!"

"Ow... My head is pounding..." The Vulpix groaned, covering her ears with her paws.

"Geez, we heard you yelling this morning. We don't need it again!" the Pikachu whimpered.

After recovering from the yelling, Flare asked, "What are we supposed to do?"

"Climb down that hole and stand guard. You're on sentry duty!" Loudred replied, pointing to the hole with the plant growing from it.

"Sentry duty?" Flare muttered.

"You heard right. Sentry duty," Loudred confirmed. "We can't have suspicious characters coming into the guild. So we station a sentry below the guild entrance to evaluate Pokemon visitors. When you first came, you had your footprint evaluated, right?"

"My footprint? What do you...?" Flare started.

"You mean when you guys yelled at us to get on the grate and then tried to figure out who we were?" Shelly asked. "How could I forget that frightening experience?"

"AH!" Flare remembered now. "Oh, now I remember! There was that weird hole in front of the gate... I stood on the grating and someone shouted up at me. It was startling!"

"Yep, that's it!" Loudred nodded.

"OK, you want us to climb down this hole. And then?" Flare asked.

"We really have to climb down there? But it looks really dark! How will we know where we're going or even see the footprint?" Shelly demanded.

"The tunnel down there leads to the sentry post," Loudred explained. "Diglett burrows through it and pops up underneath the sentry post. From the sentry post, Diglett inspects the footprints of visitors, identifies them, and then informs me. Then I decide if the Pokemon is suspicious or not and opens the gate if they pass. So we serve as the guild's gatekeepers. That's the gist of it."

"Is that all?" Shelly asked. "It sounds pretty hard to decide if a Pokemon is suspicious or not just by their footprint alone."

"Look, all you two have to do is inspect the footprints of visitors and tell me what Pokemon they are. I'll decide everything else from there. All right? Understood?" Loudred summarized.

"Yes, sir. Understood!" the duo agreed.

"Good! Then let's get to WORK!" Loudred cried. "Buck up and do a GOOD job!"

The duo crawled down the tunnel.

"Ack!" Flare yelped. "It's pitch black in here, Shelly... We'll have to feel our way..." After a few moments, Flare spoke again. "Well, we should be getting close to the sentry post... Oh! There! I see light, Shelly!"

"Finally!" Shelly exclaimed. "Move it already, Flare! I don't want to stay in here for any longer than I need to!"

"HOW'S IT GOING?!" Loudred yelled down the tunnel. "Have you taken position at the sentry post?!"

"Yes, we're in position!" Flare called.

"GOOD! Pokemon visitors will step onto the grill above the sentry post!" Loudred explained. "Identify them by footprint and then inform me! Got that?!"

"Yes! Understood!" Flare agreed.

"GOOD! Let's get started!" Loudred shouted. "Look at the footprint carefully, OK? Then identify the Pokemon! You can only get two wrong, OK? Flare will keep an eye on things!"

"Wait! You mean _I've_ got to choose?!" Shelly cried. "You're kidding!"

Loudred ignored her. "Here comes a Pokemon! Check its footprint and tell me what it is! Whose footprint is it?"

After that, the only things Loudred said were, "Huh? I don't think so. Try again!" or "Being close to it is refreshing, as if relaxing in a sunny forest." or "Heard ya! Come in, visitor! ...Huh? Looks wrong to me! The correct answer is...! Buck up! And snap to it!" or "Yep! Looks like you're right!" This continued on for the whole day until the final Pokemon came and left.

"No more visitors! No more visitors!" Chatot called.

"OK, got that!" Loudred answered. "Hey, Shelly and Flare! That's all for today! Now get back here!"

"Finally!" Shelly gasped. "That was hard! How does Diglett do this _every single day_?"

"I guess that's just one of the great mysteries of the guild, Shelly." Flare giggled. "Now let's go! I wonder what score we got..."

"I don't care about scores..." Shelly moaned. "I'm gonna be seeing footprints in my sleep now! Curse you, Diglett! Curse you!"

After crawling out, Chatot assessed their scores.

"You've done an honest day's work!" he reassured. "Let me review your sentry duty performance... Your results were...adequate."

"Hmm..." Loudred mumbled.

"Oh..." Flare said, her ears lowering sadly.

"So...basically, we did badly," Shelly concluded.

"Oh, Arceus no! There have been apprentices who have done worse than you! But still, there have been apprentices who have done better," Chatot squawked. "Here are your rewards for the job."

"Whoa! We get rewards?!" Shelly said, grinning. "On second thought, I guess sentry duty is worth it after all."

"I told you so, Shelly!" Flare laughed.

Chatot held out his wing, presenting them a Protein and 100 poke. "I expect to see better effort out of you two next time," he said.

"We promise to do better, Chatot. Right, Shelly?" Flare asked.

"Sure, why not?" the Pikachu chuckled. "If the rewards are better for getting a perfect score, then of course I'll get better!"

"I knew you'd agree!" the Vulpix cheered.

 _All Shelly wants are the rewards,_ Loudred thought.

 _Are rewards and money all that girl thinks about?_ Chatot wondered. _Isn't she happy that nobody dangerous entered the guild? ...I guess not..._

Chimecho's bell rang, alerting them to dinner. After eating dinner, the guild headed for bed.

"Today was incredible, wasn't it? I wonder if the other apprentices have to do sentry duty too," Flare wondered, lying on her back in bed.

"Maybe, unless Diglett just wanted to pick on us since we were new," Shelly suggested.

"Um, Shelly?" Flare said awkwardly. "I think that would be Loudred's job, not Diglett's. Diglett seems too nice and shy to pick on someone else. Loudred looks more like the kind of guy to pick on others."

"Whatever!" Shelly groaned, rubbing her eyes. "My eyes hurt from being in the guild, then in the sentry post, then back in the guild. Too much change in light to dark."

"I have to agree, Shelly." Flare nodded, resting a paw over her eyes. "I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Good night, Flare." Shelly muttered, rolling onto her side.

In minutes, the duo was fast asleep.


	7. Shadow Wolf Attacks and Waterfall Cave

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed.

"Ugh! I'm surprised my ears haven't popped yet." Flare groaned, rubbing one ear.

"Me too, Flare. I'm glad we haven't seen anymore of those stone statues," Shelly mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. They had completed another mission the previous day, saving a Starly named Robbin and reunited her with a Bulbasaur named Matt. "Better see what's happening today."

Team Moonlight got up and headed for the main room. After their morning cheers, everyone separated.

"You there!" Chatot called.

"Huh?" Shelly asked. "Us?"

Chatot nodded. "You two, come here." Once Team Moonlight was in front of him, he spoke again. "You've become quite good at your work. I'm impressed by your capture of Drowzee. That was very admirable!"

 _You call nearly killing Drowzee admirable?_ Shelly thought. _Oh yeah, you guys don't know about that._

"So!" Chatot continued. "You all will finally be assigned a mission worthy of a proper exploration team."

"R-really?! Yes!" Flare cried.

"All right!" Shelly cheered, grabbing the Vulpix's paws and spinning around happily. "We're going on a real exploration now! How cool is that?"

"Shelly, let go! I'm getting dizzy!" Flare complained.

"Oh! Sorry." The Pikachu let go of her dizzy companion. "So, what is it? Come on, Chatot, tell us already!"

 _They sure seem eager,_ Chatot noticed. "Let me see your Wonder Map."

Flare opened the Wonder Map for the bird to see.

"Treasure Town is here. And over here is where you will be investigating." Chatot pointed to a strange waterfall not far from Treasure Town's location. "See? There is a waterfall flowing here. By all appearances, it's just an ordinary waterfall. But we've received intelligence that the waterfall may conceal a secret. And that's where you come in! We want you to investigate the waterfall and determine what's there. That's all. Do you understand what this mission entails?"

"Understood, sir." Flare nodded.

"Good!" Chatot said. "I'll leave you all to thoroughly investigate the waterfall!"

Suddenly, Flare started shivering.

"Flare, what's wrong?" Shelly asked.

"Huh? What's wrong? You're shivering," Chatot said.

"..." Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

"Waah! Flare, what's wrong?" Shelly cried, shaking her Vulpix friend. "Flare!"

"A-are you all right?" Chatot asked. _Maybe this mission's too hard for her!_

"Yes. I'm okay," Flare finally said, smiling. "It's just the anticipation that's making me nervous. This will be the first time we get to do a real job as an exploration team. I'm feeling a little worked up..."

"A little?! Flare, you're freaking crying! That's not a little!" Shelly shouted.

"I'm sorry, Shelly. Oh, I feel like I'm gonna burst from excitement!" Flare exclaimed.

"Then be happy or something! But whatever you do, just stop crying!" Shelly cried. "Just stop...crying. Just stop, please... Please..."

"Shelly, are you okay?" Flare asked. _What just happened? I started crying and Shelly completely flips. Does she not like it when others cry?_

Shelly sniffed. "Sorry, it's just... I dunno, it's stupid. I just hate seeing you crying, especially when you're supposed to be happy."

"It's okay, Shelly. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm sorry," Flare apologized.

"Thanks, just... Don't do that again, seriously. I'll shock you if you do. Be happy or something, not sad," Shelly mumbled.

"Okay." The Vulpix wiped away her tears, smiling. "Let's do our best, Shelly!"

"Sure, we will. This is our first mission, Flare," Shelly pointed out. "Plus, we always do our best. What would stop us now? Nothing! Abso-freaking-lutely nothing!"

"Right!" Flare nodded.

 _These two are quite the strange duo, aren't they? From happy to crying to happy again... How odd indeed,_ Chatot thought.

As the duo headed up to the upper floor and attempted to go above ground, a voice caught their attention.

"Oh! Shelly! And Flare too!" Chimecho called from behind a rounded stone desk on the far left end of the upper floor.

"Huh? What's Chimecho doing there?" Flare asked. They wandered over to her. "Hello! What's going on here?"

"I just started an Assembly here. Today, in fact," Chimecho replied.

"Assembly?" Flare asked.

"What's an Assembly?" Shelly added.

"Yes! For assembling your team!" Chimecho laughed. "Have you ever considered adding members, Flare?"

"Other members?" Flare wondered. "Well, sure! It'd be cool to add other members! If there were more than just the two of us, it sure would help when we explore dungeons!"

"Well then! You need to start recruiting new members!" Chimecho said.

"Oh! How do we start?" Flare asked.

"Huh?!" Shelly yelped. _Other members? But I thought it would be just us! What's going on here?!_ "Hang on a sec!"

"I'll just ring the Friendship Bell for you, Team Moonlight!" Chimecho explained. "Here goes! Hey-yah!" She rang a bell behind her. "Now Team Moonlight has the power to recruit new members!"

"R-really?!" Flare cried happily.

"Ugh!" Shelly groaned. _It was just supposed to be us, Flare. What am I gonna do when weird Pokemon start to want to join us?_

"Yes! From now on while battling Pokemon in dungeons, you may earn respect from some of them and those Pokemon may ask to join Team Moonlight. Once you have recruited a Pokemon, you may bring it along with you on dungeon explorations. To bring a Pokemon along, visit my Assembly and choose which members shall join your team for the exploration. Always see me when you want to assemble a team that includes recruits!"

"Oh, wow! Thanks, Chimecho!" Flare thanked.

They headed outside and were about to head for the waterfall when they saw a sign by the path.

"Assembly Post: For service, please ring the bell! Chimecho," Flare read, looking at the bell hanging by the sign.

"How am I gonna get used to having others on our team, Flare?" Shelly asked. "I like it just the way it is now."

"Come on, Shelly!" Flare said. "Having more teammates might be fun. Plus, we'll make new friends!"

"I like being friends with just you!" Shelly whined.

"It won't be so bad, I promise," Flare vowed. "Now let's go drop off some items and money before we head for that place."

"Sure, whatever."

Shelly followed her friend into Treasure Town. After dropping off excess items and all of their poke, Shelly noticed something.

"Hey, what's that place?"

"Oh, that's the Marowak Dojo. It collapsed into ruin not long after I got here, Shelly. Maybe they opened up again," Flare muttered, leading them there.

Once inside, a brown lizard with a white bony skull looked surprised to see them. "...V-visitors...? F-finally...m-my...first visitors!" He walked toward them and smiled. "Welcome to Marowak Dojo. This is my place! It's dedicated to the training of exploration teams. The dojo went to rack and ruin, then to a pile of rubble, but...it has now risen from the dust to its former glory! But...I haven't had any visitors... There hasn't been even one. It saddened me to my very marrow... But then! Along came you two! You are my first customers! From my very marrow, I'm feeling overjoyed! I don't even want money! Keep it! Just train here, that's all I ask!"

"Um, sure. Why not?" Shelly smirked. "It actually sounds fun."

Marowak led them to a hole in the wall. "There's the entrance to the training mazes. I have to tell you one thing... Training mazes aren't like ordinary dungeons. There's this icky part, you see. When you go in, you hand over everything that's in your Treasure Bag. To avoid losing the items in your Treasure Bag, put them in Kangaskhan Storage before you go in."

"That is a definite 'must do' for this place," Flare muttered.

"There's more!" Marowak explained. "If you get KO'd, you don't lose the new money or items you find in the maze. You get to keep them! There's no risk to you, so you can go all out while you train. So, yes, make me happy. Train your team here. How about it?"

"Sure, we will! We need to get a bit stronger before we head for Waterfall Cave," Shelly said. "We just need to drop off all of our items in Kangaskhan Storage. We'll be right back!"

Heading for Kangaskhan Storage and dropping off all of their items, they returned to Marowak Dojo fully prepared.

"We're ready to go! Let's do this!" Flare barked happily.

They entered the mazes, ready to fight.

They barely managed to defeat the Normal/Flying Maze and Grass Maze, getting KO'd at the Poison/Bug Maze. Shelly grew to Level 12 and learned Thunder Wave. Flare grew to Level 12 and learned Quick Attack. After leaving the dojo and putting excess items away, they headed down the path toward the Secret Waterfall.

Team Moonlight stood on a ledge pointed at the falling sheet of water that was the waterfall.

"So this is the waterfall that supposedly has a secret..." Flare muttered, stepping closer. She reached out touch it and was sent tumbling backward. "Yow!"

"Flare!" Shelly cried. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," the Vulpix whimpered, getting shakily to her feet. "That water is coming down hard! Try getting close to it, Shelly."

"Sure, I will!" The Pikachu stepped closer and noticed how fast the water was falling. _It's true! This is incredible! I can barely stay standing near this deluge!_ She stepped even closer and was hit by some of the water. Spinning her arms wildly, she attempted to keep her balance but slipped off the edge of the ledge. "Waaah! Flare, help!" she screamed.

"Shelly!" The Vulpix leaped and grabbed her friend's hand as Shelly slipped over the edge. Keeping a tight hold, the Vulpix slowly inched backward. "Hang on, okay? Don't let go!"

"I won't! I won't!" the Pikachu cried.

Flashes of light crossed her vision. _Hmm... Something seems familiar. It's that dizziness I felt before._ Darkness and that strip of light revealed the vision. There was a storm and voices could be heard. She saw no one but could hear them shouting. _"No, don't let go! Just a little longer! Come on, hang on!"_ Another voice screamed and the vision ended. _What was that about?!_

Shelly dared to look down. She saw smoothed stones far below and, from what she could see, pure white bones. She screamed and dug her feet into the ledge side, trying to climb back up.

"Get me out of here!"

"I'm...trying!" Flare growled, tugging her friend up and over the ledge to safety. Tumbling away from the waterfall, the two lay panting for a while before getting up. "See? It's intense."

"I can see that!" Shelly gasped.

"If you were to fall under this waterfall, you'd probably be battered," Flare muttered, looking at Shelly in fear. _Like she almost did..._ "I didn't think it'd be pouring down this powerfully! Where should we even start looking?"

Suddenly, Shelly saw flashes of light covering her vision. _What? Another one? Not again!_ Darkness and a strip of light started the vision. A strange shadowed figure was standing on the ledge before the waterfall. Backing up, it leaped forward and went through the waterfall to tumble to a cave behind it. Looking around, it headed for the cave mouth at the far back of the cavern.

Shelly blinked, feeling the vision end. _It happened again! I saw something...but what did I just see?_

Flare noticed the shocked look on her partner's face. "Huh? What's the matter, Shelly?"

Shelly told her about the vision.

"What?! You had another one? And you saw a lone Pokemon jump into the waterfall?"

"Yeah, and it fell into a cave behind the waterfall," Shelly finished.

"Hmm... But it looks like the water is coming down really heavily." Flare whimpered, looking fearfully at the waterfall. "Imagine if there was actually a solid cliff wall behind that waterfall! Ouch! If we tried to jump through, we'd be pounded badly!"

"I know but it's worth it, right?" Shelly asked.

"Do you really think we should do this?" Flare asked. "Is there really something behind this water? Are you really convinced that there is a cave there?"

"Positive," the Pikachu replied.

"Well... OK. I'm putting my faith in you, Shelly!" Flare declared. "Yes! I totally believe in you, Shelly."

They backed up, preparing to leap through it. The Vulpix shivered.

"Yikes!" Then she shook her head. "No, I gotta be brave now. If I get scared and fail to leap through at full speed, I'll be smooshed no matter what I do! If I'm doing it, I have to do it without hesitating. Be brave... Be the bravest ever!"

 _Flare,_ Shelly thought. _She's trying so hard to be brave. I have to try too. I have to show her that we can both be brave in the face of danger._ "Ready, Flare?"

"Ready! Let's go, Shelly!" Flare nodded, facing the waterfall. _Father has done worse things to me. A jump through a waterfall should be nothing compared to that! But why am I still so scared?_ "Three...Two...One...Now!"

They jumped through, bracing for an impact with a cliff wall.

"Waaaah!"

They hit something all right, but it wasn't a wall. More like a stone floor. They had tumbled into the cavern behind the waterfall!

"I was right!" Shelly cried after recovering. "See, there was a cave!"

"Yowowowow!" Flare whimpered, shaking herself off. "W-what is this? Yes, it is a cave! You were right after all, Shelly! Let's go explore this cave, Shelly. Let's see what secrets it holds!"

They entered the cave mouth at the back of the cavern, just as the lone figure in Shelly's vision had done.

_Drenched Bluff, Floor 8..._

Molt and Freeze crept quietly through the corridors of Drenched Bluff on a B-ranked mission. This would be their final mission as a Bronze-ranked team and if they succeed, they would be Silver-rank at last.

"Grrr..." Freeze growled angrily.

He was angry at Molt for disobeying him but didn't mention it. Today was special, after all. Becoming Silver Rank today was way more important than his brother's stupid crush.

Their mission was to catch a rogue Magmar that had been causing trouble lately and they finally reached the floor he was supposed to be on. Oddly enough, the Magmar wasn't behind him like most criminals tended to be. Now they had to go looking for him, which was a huge pain. Molt's fur was soaked but it didn't bother him since he was wearing the Fire Collar. Freeze barely noticed the cold water that he was walking through.

"So, Freeze, did you see the collar Flare gave me? It's great, right?" Molt asked. He'd been talking like that since they came in and the enemies' water attacks became useless. _Man, I love this collar so much!_

Freeze groaned, becoming more annoyed. First Magmar was missing and now his brother was chatting away again. How annoying.

"Concentrate on the mission and stop talking about that Vulpix," he hissed, peering around a corner. _Where's that stupid Magmar?! Is the whole world against me today?_

Molt remained silent as they searched the whole floor. Coming to the room with the stairs, Molt quickly pointed something out. Freeze just stared in shock.

"Freeze, what is this?" Molt whimpered, backing away. "The criminal, he's..."

Then it started to get darker. Freeze looked around wildly, getting a bit spooked. Then he remembered what Flare said about the Shadow Wolf attacks.

_"He could teleport through shadows and make any brightly lit place dark. He turned the room we were in pitch black and came in through the floor."_

"Molt, get behind me now!" Freeze shouted just a lupine shape with glowing blue eyes stepped out from the floor.

"Is that one of the Shadow Wolves?" Molt stuttered, cowering behind his brother.

"You should not be here," the wolf said. Its voice echoed around the pitch black room, sounding like a call from the darkness. "My leader has ordered that no one come to this floor of Drenched Bluff. Leave now or I will make you leave."

Freeze stood tall, showing no fear in the face of the wolf. "Are you the one who turned Magmar to stone?" he demanded.

"Indeed, it was I." The wolf nodded, blue eyes glinting in the darkness. "But that was because he had no honor. There is nothing that I hate more than to see someone fight with no honor. We fought but he resorted to tricky means and that is why I turned him to stone. Someone like him deserves it."

"There's never a right to do that to a Pokemon, no matter how bad it is!" Freeze barked, fur bristling angrily.

"I disagree but you have a right to your own view." Then the wolf stepped closer, barring its fangs menacingly. "But enough about that Magmar. Now is the time for you both to leave."

"What if I say we're not going to?" the Glaceon asked, standing his ground.

"Freeze, are you insane?!" Molt cried. "That's a Shadow Wolf! We don't stand a chance against him!"

Freeze ignored him, getting into a fighting stance. He nodded toward Molt and the Flareon backed off. Freeze could tell that the wolf could take Molt down but at least Freeze could hold it off long enough for his brother to reach the stairs.

"Hmm..." The blue-eyed Shadow Wolf hummed. "If you wish to fight me, I shall not deny you but I shall not go easy on you. I never go easy on anyone."

"Neither do I!" Freeze spat.

The two charged at one another. As Freeze leaped to strike, he expected the wolf to dive into the shadows but this one didn't. It twirled around and kicked him out of the air, throwing him to the floor. Then it charged at him and struck with its claws, crashing him into a wall.

As Freeze struggled to his feet, he saw Molt staring in horror at them. _Why isn't he leaving? Why hasn't he run away yet? Why?!_

The wolf stood over him, sighing. "I thought you would be stronger than this but it seems I've overestimated your power." Freeze could tell it was male now from the voice. "I guess that was a waste of effort."

Looking up, the Glaceon saw a collar made of azure blue stones encircling the wolf's neck. The Unown letter D was engraved in the larger middle stone.

Suddenly, a blast of fire made the wolf yelp and jump away. Molt stood in front of his brother, fur standing on end.

"Stay away from my brother!" the Flareon yelled. "I'll fight you!"

"Molt, you idiot! Get out of here!" Freeze yelled, getting up. "I'm fine on my own!"

"You just got kicked and tossed around, bro! I'm helping whether you like it or not!" Molt declared.

"Well now, this is a surprise," the wolf muttered, limping out of the shadows that he had taken shelter in. "I never expected a tag-team effort. This may be worth the fight after all. What are your names?"

"I'm Molt! And this is my brother, Freeze!" Molt replied. "We're Exploration Team Frostburn!"

"An exploration team?" the wolf repeated. "Very well, I am Oswald of Troop D. Prepare to battle!"

"Gladly! Come get us!" Freeze dared.

Oswald smiled and charged. The two brothers unleashed an Ice Beam and Fire Blast combo, hitting Oswald head on. The Shadow Wolf raced out of the smoke and slammed into Molt. Freeze jumped and bit Oswald's ear, making the wolf howl in pain as he shook his head to dislodge Freeze. Molt was about to charge when Freeze told him off.

"This guy wants an honorable fight and a two-on-one isn't honorable!" the Glaceon cried, keeping a tight hold on Oswald's ear. "Get to the stairs and warn the guild that the top floor of Drenched Bluff is off-limits! I'll catch up, I promise! Now go!"

"But, bro!" Molt started to say.

"Get the hell out of here!" Freeze shouted, letting go off Oswald's ear. He was thrown off and crashed into a wall.

Molt hesitated before bolting, racing up the stairs and leaving the dungeon behind.

Freeze winced, getting up. "Now it's just you and me, wolf."

"I'm surprised you wished to fight alone instead of using him to your advantage," Oswald commented, placing a paw on Freeze's back and shoving him back down. "How honorable of you...yet it would have been foolish to do around any wolf but I." He removed his paw and limped away. "Live and grow strong, Freeze of Exploration Team Frostburn. We will meet again in the near future, I can assure you."

With that, he vanished into the shadows and the room brightened up again.

"Darn...it..." Freeze muttered. _I can't believe I lost. I can't believe it...I can't..._ He closed his eyes, blacking out. _Someone...help..._

_Beach Cave, Floor 3..._

"Flamethrower!" Raven the Vulpix cried, releasing a blast of fire from his mouth. The Shadow Wolf dodged the attack, red eyes glaring angrily. "Kitty, you ready?"

"Ready!" the Skitty nodded.

Only moments ago, Team Fire Flower had stumbled across the stone statue of a Corsola they had been assigned to save and engaged in a battle against one of mysterious Shadow Wolves.

"Assist! Water Gun!" Kitty cried.

"Foolish little brats!" the wolf, a female wearing a collar made of silvery-white stones with the Unown letter X on the center stone, growled as she leaped into the air. "Petunia of Troop X never loses a fight!"

"Well, prepare to lose now!" Raven barked. "Kitty, now!"

"Right, Raven!"

The duo unleashed Water Gun and Flamethrower together. Petunia jumped away and attacked, only to be knocked away by the combo move.

"We did it! They aren't so hard to beat!"

"Oh, really?" Petunia laughed, getting up. "We'll see about that! Dark Blade!"

The Shadow Wolf spun around once, lifting her back feet off the ground and releasing a barrage of black blades of energy. Crashing into the rocks behind them, Team Fire Flower screamed as the rocks crashed on top of them. Once the smoke cleared, the duo was trapped.

Petunia laughed and fled.

"I guess it wasn't that easy after all, Raven." Kitty chuckled nervously.

"What makes you think that?" Raven asked sarcastically.

"Well, aside from the fact that we just lost in one hit..."

"Kitty, let talking and more helping. We need to get out of here."

"Okay!"

_Mt. Bristle, Floor 6..._

Team Storm Pulse dodged the Dark Blade attack. Boulder the Riolu forced himself to charge forward and attack.

"Force Palm!" he cried as his paw connected with the Shadow Wolf's chest.

The wolf howled in agony as it crashed into the staircase, a few sickening cracks following it.

"Ah! I didn't mean to do that much damage!" Boulder yelped.

The wolf, a male named Helaku wearing a yellow stone collar with the Unown letter F on it, slowly staggered to his paws. Pain shot through his left side, signaling that the Riolu had broken a few ribs. Leaping away from the staircase, he aimed to use Stone Bite on the puppy.

"Look out!" Icy the Glaceon warned, leaping in and throwing Boulder out of the way. "Icy Wind!"

A blast of freezing wind threw the wolf a few feet backward.

"My turn now! Bubblebeam!" Pippy the Piplup cried.

"Like hell I'll be taken down by a bunch of bubbles," Helaku hissed, jumping into a shadow to avoid the attack. Appearing behind Pippy, he aimed a Dark Blade at her. "Now die!"

"Endure!" Boulder growled, throwing himself in front of his team leader. The attack would've knocked him out if he hadn't used Endure to save both himself and Pippy. "Icy, help me!"

"Right! Icy Wind!"

Helaku snarled, leaping away again. "Dark Claw!" he howled, his claws glowing black as he tore them across Icy's back. As the Glaceon fell, he repeated the move on the other two. As all three lay crumpled on the floor from their wounds, he readied a Stone Bite. "Stone—"

"Helaku, we must leave!" a second voice, this one female, hissed. "I sense master wishes to speak with us. He's summoning everyone!"

Annoyed that he was being taken from his prey, he stalked away. "Fine, Chenoa, I'm coming. Until next time..."

He slipped into the shadows with the female, who wore a purple stone collar with the Unown letter S on it. In moments, they were gone.

"Ugh... Are you guys okay?" Pippy asked shakily.

"I think so." Boulder groaned. "You?"

"Fine for the most part. Icy?"

"I'm still here, leader," the Glaceon mumbled.

"Now what, leader?" Boulder asked.

"What else? We go home," the Piplup replied, pulling out her badge.

They vanished in a flash of light, transported back to the guild.

_Waterfall Cave, Floor 6..._

Shelly yelped, splashing into a puddle of water after being attacked by a Wooper. "Flare, help!" she wailed.

As the Vulpix searched frantically through her bag, the Wooper ended it with a Water Gun. 

_This is it,_ the Pikachu thought. _Our first exploration and we fail just like that. Are we that pathetic or what?_

Suddenly, one of the Reviver Seeds in the bag glowed and Shelly was back to normal.

"What the? I'm okay?"

"It must have been the Reviver Seed, Shelly," Flare explained. "Their effect is to revive you if you faint. We have two from Glameow and we found one at Mt. Bristle. We only have two left, so let's try to save them."

"Roger that!" Shelly nodded, shocking the Wooper and beating it.

"Are we almost there yet?" asked Tangle, a Tangela that asked to be recruited after Shelly beat him. Shelly didn't trust him but he seemed innocent enough, so they said yes.

"Almost, Tangle. Just hang in there, okay?" Flare encouraged.

"Yes!" Tangle nodded. "Ooh, this is so exciting!"

 _I can't believe this. Why should we recruit someone who tried to kill us? Makes no sense to me. The guild's rules are messed up! First handing over most of our money and now recruiting enemies. What next?!_ Shelly groaned, rubbing her ears. Her head hurt.

They went up two more floors and found the stairs almost immediately on the final floor.

"Let's see what this place has to hide!" Shelly cried, leaping down the stairs with Flare and Tangle at her heels.

They ended up in a room filled with different colored crystals.

"Wow! Look at that, Shelly! Look at all the gems sparkling! Whoa, look over there! It's a gigantic gem!" Flare pointed to the back of the cave.

A huge pink gem was embedded in the ground.

"Pretty!" Tangle cooed, eyes wide in awe.

"Wow! I've never seen a gem this huge!" Flare gasped. _I've seen plenty of big gems in my day but this one's the biggest! Father always got mother big and beautiful gems that he found but this one even prettier than them._

"Holy!" Shelly said, stepping back a few paces just to see the whole thing. "This is incredible, Flare! And _we_ found it! Us, a group of rookies, found such a big treasure! Cool!"

"This _is_ an incredible treasure, Shelly," the Vulpix agreed. "Everyone will be amazed if we bring this back." She tried to pull the gem from its place in the ground. "Urrrrgh! Urrrrgh! Ugh..." She backed away, panting. "Nope, it's not budging... It's really stuck tight. Can you give it a try, Shelly?"

"Sure! I'll show you what true strength is!" The Pikachu walked over and grabbed the gem, trying to pull it free. "Grrrrr! Come on!" _Whoa! This is really stuck! It won't budge!_ She backed away, beaten. "Urrrrgh...ugh..." _Nope, no good..._

"So you couldn't move it either, Shelly..." Flare muttered. _So much for true strength, Shelly,_ she thought, giggling. "But we can't just give up! If we try hard enough, we'll have to get some kind of result! I'm giving it another go!"

The Pikachu moved out of the way and stood by Tangle, who watched on it awe.

"Come on, you can do it! You're stronger than this, Flare! You can do it!" he cheered. "Come on, pull! Pull!"

 _Hmm... It's not budging one bit,_ Shelly thought. Suddenly, flashes of light crossed her vision. _Huh? Oh no, come on! Not again! It's happening again, for the third time today... It's..._ Darkness and the strip of light began the vision. She saw the same strange figure in the cave with the gems. Walking over to the giant gem, it pressed down on the gem and waited. A loud roar sounded and a tidal wave of water crashed into the cave, washing the figure away. The vision ended.

 _But that was...!_ Shelly's eyes widened in fear as she turned to Flare. "Flare, hang on! I have to tell you something!"

"Urrrrrrgh! Urrrrrrgh! Ugh..." Flare backed away from the gem again. "It's no good. I can't pull it out... What is it, Shelly?"

As Shelly babbled about her vision, Flare noticed something and placed her paws on the gem, pressing down.

"Gah! Flare, I just told you not to do that!" Shelly screamed.

"What? You did?!" Flare cried, instantly alarmed. "Ah! I'm such an idiot!" The cave started shaking viciously. "What's going on, Shelly?!"

"You just triggered a trap, Flare!" Shelly yelled.

"A trap? What trap?!" Tangle cried, looking around wildly.

Flare was the first to see the wall of water rushing toward them.

"Waaah! It's a flood!" she shouted.

"Aaah! We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna—" Tangle started yelling.

"Run!" Shelly roared.

But no matter how fast they ran, the water caught up with them and swept them away.

"Waaaaah!" Shelly could hear her friends' screams. _Just great! We're gonna end up just like the strange figure in my visions!_

The water erupted from a geyser, blowing the trio into the air on the fountain of water. When the water vanished, they fell...into more water. But this water was...

"Huh?" Flare muttered, sitting up. _This water's warm!_ "What...? Where are we?"

"Blub blub blub blub!" was the only thing Shelly could say.

"Waah! Shelly, wake up!" The Vulpix shook her Electric-type friend awake. "Are you okay now, Shelly?"

"I... I think so." Then Shelly noticed something. "Hey! Why's Tangle up there while we fell into the water?!"

"I dunno." Tangle shrugged from his place on the rocks surrounding the pool of warm water. "I guess I got lucky."

"Lucky, my tail!" Shelly hissed, sitting up. "Hey, where are we, anyways?"

A young Teddiursa swam closer to them. "Hi, hi! Are you two okay?" it asked. "You plopped down from nowhere! Oh, you startled everyone!"

"Where are we?" Flare asked again.

"This is the Hot Spring," Teddiursa replied.

"H-Hot Spring?" Flare yelped.

"How did we get here?" Shelly asked. "Though, on second thought, I'm glad we landed here. The water feels nice..."

An old red turtle with a black shell stepped forward from his resting place on the rocks nearby. "Indeed! This is the Hot Spring. The Hot Spring works wonders on tired muscles and creaky joints. Many Pokemon visit here. Tell me, youngster, have you a map?"

"Map? Oh, if you mean our Wonder Map, yes, we have one." Flare nodded. "Elder Torkoal, right?"

Torkoal nodded. "Yes, that's me. Unfold your map for me." Once unfolded, he pointed to a marking on the map. "This is where the Hot Spring is."

"And here's Waterfall Cave!" Shelly pointed out. "Holy! Look how far the Hot Spring is from Waterfall Cave, Flare!"

"The water carried us all the way from over here." Flare pointed to Waterfall Cave.

"Oh my goodness!" Torkoal gasped. "It was the water that carried you all the way here? What a long journey it must have been. Let the Hot Spring wash away your fatigue before you make your way home."

"Good idea. We'll do that. Thanks, everyone!" Flare nodded.

"Hey, are they an exploration team?" Shelly asked, pointing to two Pokemon wearing Silver Exploration Badges on their bandannas.

"Oh my! It's Team Shooting Star!" Flare gasped. "They're a Silver-ranked Exploration Team that recently lost their leader, Starlight the Lopunny. That's Tyranny the Tyranitar, a former criminal that reformed himself after Starlight saved him. And that's Inferno the Charizard, Starlight's overprotective partner."

"Then where's their leader?" Shelly asked.

"Starlight got into an accident on a mission and broke her leg," Flare replied. "She was forced to resign from her position but she vowed to return once she got better. Her daughter is Mimi, the Buneary that helped show us around with Bidoof."

"Is she like her daughter?"

"No, not a bit! Starlight's really sweet and kind to everyone. They're pretty famous, actually," Flare explained.

"Okay..." The Pikachu sank lower into the water. _What a crazy day this turned out to be,_ she thought. _We get our first real exploration, we recruit our first new member, we find these gems and didn't get a single one, triggered a booby trap and were sent flying into a nearby Hot Spring. Man, Chatot's never going to believe us!_

She looked up and saw Flare chatting happily with Tangle, only to gasp as Tangle pulled out three small gems. "I managed to pull them out while you were trying to free the big one. I'm glad they didn't get lost when we were blasted out by the flood." He handed a sparkling red one to Flare and tossed the purple one to Shelly, keeping the blue one for himself.

"Well, at least we didn't go back empty-handed." Flare smiled.

"I say we keep these to ourselves, Flare," Shelly suggested. "Knowing that thieving bird, he'd take them from us and claim them as treasures for the whole guild."

"...I guess you're right. We won't tell anyone," the Vulpix reluctantly agreed.

"Yep!" Tangle nodded. "These will be our little treasures from our first exploration ever!"

 _Well, I guess it didn't turn out to be too crazy of a day,_ Shelly decided. _At least we get to come home with treasure that nobody else can have. I have to say our first exploration was definitely...a blast!_ She giggled, making bubbles underwater.

"I think we should head back now, Shelly!" Flare called. "You coming?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here!" As the Pikachu pulled herself from the warm water, Team Shooting Star lumbered over. "Hey, are you going back too?"

"Yeah, we are. Mind if we join you?" Inferno asked.

"S-sure, why not?" Flare replied hesitantly, pulling out her badge.

In seconds, they were transported back home to the guild. But a surprise would be waiting for them once they returned home, a surprise in the form of many reports... Reports of Shadow Wolf attacks on exploration teams!


	8. Team Skull

"Hmm. Let me see if I've got this all straight," Chatot said. "Behind the waterfall, there is a cave... In the deepest part of the cave, there is a gigantic gem... When you pressed on the gem, it triggered a trap of some kind... And, somehow, you were flushed off to the distant Hot Spring. Is this the gist of your report?"

"Yes. It's really disappointing that we couldn't bring the gem back..." Flare nodded sadly. _Too bad we can't tell you about the three gems we did manage to get thanks to Tangle._

 _He's so not gonna believe us,_ Shelly thought. _We go from a mysterious dungeon to finding a huge gem to being sent to a Hot Spring. Not a very believable story if you ask me, even with Team Shooting Star backing us up._

"No, no, no! Emphatically, no!" Chatot cried, waving a wing happily. "This is a major discovery!"

"R-really?!" Flare asked.

 _He actually believes it,_ Shelly thought in amazement. _I thought he'd call us liars but he actually believes it... Cool!_

"Undoubtedly!" Chatot nodded. "After all, the presence of the cave behind the waterfall... No one knew about that before now!"

"Oh, I see! We made a discovery!" Flare cried.

"Hooray for us!" Shelly cheered, raising a paw. Then she turned away from the cheering duo. _When I had those dizzy spells...the shadow of the Pokemon I saw... That shape, I've seen that shape before... That shape, there's no mistaking it! It was Wigglytuff!_

"Your waterfall discovery is just amazing! The Guildmaster must be told!" Chatot declared.

"Actually..." Shelly mumbled, catching their attention.

"What? What's wrong, Shelly?" Flare asked.

"I think Wigglytuff's been there before, guys. I saw him in my vision," Shelly admitted.

"Huh?" Flare yelped.

"No, no, no! Emphatically, no!" Chatot barked. "That's inconceivable! If that were so, the Guildmaster wouldn't have ordered you to investigate the place, right?"

"Just ask him, Chatot!" Shelly begged. "I know that had to be Wigglytuff. Nobody else's shadow matches his! My visions haven't been wrong yet, right?"

 _She has a point,_ Chatot thought. "Fine, since you insist, I will go and confirm this with the Guildmaster..." He turned and hopped toward the chamber doors. "Why would they want to spoil their own discovery? How strange! I guess I should be used to it by now... These apprentices are yet another strange crew, aren't they?"

"What was that, Chatot?" Flare asked, overhearing him.

"What? Oh, nothing, nothing. Nothing at all!" Chatot cried, flapping his wings insanely fast.

"Would you please go and confirm my suspicions with Wigglytuff already?" Shelly asked, cheeks sparking slightly. _Maybe a little shock will get him moving..._

As if reading her thoughts, he hopped through the door. "I'll go confirm your suspicions now, Shelly. Guildmaster, it's Chatot! I'm coming in!" Turning, he glared at the duo. "Please wait here."

With that, he hopped through the doors.

"Oh my gosh! Shelly, Flare, you're back!" Sunflora cried. "Oh my gosh, are you okay? Did those wolves get you too? Eek, those wolves are mean!"

"Sunflora, we're okay!" Shelly reassured the worried Grass-type. "What's wrong?"

"Exploration teams Storm Pulse and Fire Flower came back heavily injured by Shadow Wolves! And poor Team Frostburn has a member still trapped in a dungeon! Eek!" Sunflora explained. "Poor Glameow has to take care of them all by herself because Nurse Chansey is still gone. Oh my gosh, I feel so sorry for her! At least two of the three teams got out of the dungeons themselves so she wouldn't have to rescue them. Eek, that would be so scary! I hope Freeze from Team Frostburn is okay."

"Are they all okay? Nobody has turned to stone yet, right?" Flare demanded.

"No stone statue Pokemon so far!" Sunflora replied. "Everyone is okay so far. Oh my gosh, I forgot that I was supposed to be helping Chimecho with dinner tonight! Eek! Gotta run! Glad to have you back safe! See you!" Sunflora raced away to help Chimecho make dinner.

"That was fast," Shelly muttered. "But at least everyone's okay. I wonder if Molt needs any help rescuing Freeze."

"Here comes Chatot!" Flare pointed out. "So how did it go?"

Chatot sighed. "When I asked the Guildmaster, he mulled it over for a bit. And then he said...'Oh memories! Sweet memories! YOOM...TAH!' Then he danced around a bit. And then he said...'Yes, yes! When I think hard, maybe I did go there once!' And that's just what the Guildmaster said."

"...He's very creepy..." Shelly said awkwardly.

"Shelly!" Flare hissed. "Don't insult our Guildmaster!"

"I'm not insulting him, I'm just stating a fact!" the Pikachu cried. "I mean, who dances around with an Apple on their head at dinner time? Wigglytuff does!"

"So what? I think it's pretty cool!" Flare commented.

"It's plain creepy to me!" Shelly disagreed.

"Um, anyway..." Team Moonlight ceased fighting to listen to what Chatot said. "To sum it up, it's just as Shelly suspected with her visions. He has indeed already been to Waterfall Cave."

"Oh... OK." Flare said sadly, ears pointing downward. "That's kind of disappointing. We really thought we'd discovered a new place. I wish Wigglytuff had told us right from the start!"

"The Guildmaster can be rather, uh, erratic at times," Chatot explained. "Even I can't quite fathom what goes on in his head. Well, that's too bad for you. Nevertheless, I shall expect your best effort tomorrow!"

"Urf..." Flare whimpered.

"...Stupid thieving cruel bird," Shelly muttered angrily as they stomped off to dinner.

The moon was shining brightly through their bedroom window that night.

 _Today was exhausting. I should get to sleep early,_ Shelly thought as she collapsed into bed. Her paw brushed against the gem Tangle had given her at the Hot Spring. _Maybe having other members won't be so bad after all. I could probably get used to that sooner or later._

Flare sighed, looking out the window sadly. "We went through a lot today. But you know what? It was incredibly fun for me! Sure, there was that huge letdown..."

"It wasn't totally a letdown. We got Tangle and a few gems from that dungeon," Shelly pointed out.

"Yeah. But it was our first exploration! I thought I was going to explode with excitement and anticipation the whole time. It made me realize I made the right decision in joining an exploration team." The Vulpix placed her Relic Fragment in front of Shelly. "One day I'm sure I'll solve the secret of my mother's Relic Fragment. That's the dream I have. If it ever came true, I'd surely faint from sheer happiness!"

"Then prepare to faint because I know we'll solve the mystery of it!" Shelly declared.

The duo laughed happily together.

Flare picked up her Relic Fragment again. "But seriously, thanks... I can explore because of you, Shelly. Yes..."

 _Huh? Do you really mean that, Flare?_ Shelly wondered.

Flare remembered when they were about to jump through the waterfall. She remembered how brave she became and how fiercely she trusted Shelly's judgment. "I was the biggest chicken around and even I managed to work up some courage. And it was all because you were with me, Shelly. Seriously, Shelly, thanks!"

"Hey, no problem!" Shelly waved her tail, too tired to get up. "You helped me find something to do here so I helped you get braver. It's just payment for helping me this whole time."

"...Oh yeah! You know, I was thinking. I noticed something about your dizzy spells, Shelly," Flare said. "You always seem to be touching something when they happen."

 _Come to think of it, Flare's right! When I heard Azurill's scream..._ She remembered touching Azurill while giving the Apple that Azurill had bought back to him. _And that other time..._ She remembered Drowzee bumping into her. _And when I touched the Relic Fragment and Flare herself..._ She remembered reliving the battle against Koffing and Zubat, and then hearing someone saying to hang on. _And when I realized the Shadow Wolves and stone statues were connected..._ She remembered touching the Shellos statue. _And when we were exploring Waterfall Cave!_ She remembered touching the waterfall and the big gem. _It... It's true! It was always after touching something! That's when I got those dizzy spells!_ She realized, ears rising as she sat up. _When I touch something, I see something connected to it...right?_

"There's one more thing," Flare added. "When we rescued Azurill, you had a vision of the future...but this time, you saw Wigglytuff going into the cave, right? So that means...this time, you saw an event that occurred in the past!"

 _That's true too!_ Shelly realized. _And the same can be said when I first touched the Relic Fragment and the Shellos statue!_

"In other words, Shelly," Flare continued. "If you touch something, you see its past or future. You must have that kind of special ability! This could be something totally incredible! You could use it in lots of ways! Not just for exploring either! The ability could be useful for many things! It's fantastic, Shelly!"

 _Well, yes... I guess it's true,_ Shelly thought. _But that doesn't mean I always get a vision every time I touch something... It would be useful if I could have visions when I wanted, but..._

Suddenly, Chatot appeared in the doorway. "Hey, you two! The Guildmaster wants to see you right away." He said.

The trio entered the Guildmaster's chambers.

"Guildmaster, I've brought you Team Moonlight."

"..." Wigglytuff remained silent.

"Guildmaster..." Chatot asked again. "Guildmaster?"

Wigglytuff instantly turned around, starting the trio. "Hiya!" he greeted. "Your team went through a lot today! Yes, a lot-lot! But don't worry! I'm keeping watch on your activities! I should tell you why I called you here. We're planning to mount a full expedition soon!"

"An expedition?" Flare asked.

"An expedition to where?" Shelly added.

"Yes!" Chatot nodded. "The guild will explore someplace far away! It's much harder than exploring our nearby area. That's why we need to prepare for the big trip properly. We carefully choose which guild members go on the expedition."

"Really?!" Flare asked, amazed.

"Man, that sounds so cool!" Shelly cried. "I can't wait to go! If we're picked, that is."

"Usually, we would never, ever consider rookies to be expedition members," Wigglytuff explained. "But you two are working so very hard! That's why we're making a special exception this time! We decided to include you in the list of candidates for the expedition!"

"R-really?" Flare asked.

"Awesome!" Shelly cried. "This is gonna be great!"

"Now, now!" Chatot reprimanded. "You haven't been chosen as expedition members yet. There is still time before we set out on the expedition. If you fail to do good work before then, you cannot expect to be selected for the expedition."

"I'm sure you two can do it!" Wigglytuff encouraged. "Try hard!"

"Yes!" Flare nodded. "An expedition! Isn't it fantastic, Shelly? My heart is pounding all of a sudden! Let's try our best and make sure we get picked for the expedition!"

"Of course we can do it!" Shelly agreed. "We _are_ the best rookie team so far, right?"

"Right!" the Vulpix nodded.

The duo returned to their rooms and fell asleep.

Then Flare realized something. _Shelly can see into the past or future, right? If father ever got a hold of that kind of power, what would happen to our world? It makes an even better reason for me to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, like that murdered Ninetales... Too sleepy to think anymore. Night, Shelly. I'll protect you... I promise..._

She fell asleep, praying that her father never found them.

_The next morning..._

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred's voice shattered Team Moonlight's peaceful sleep.

Groaning, the two girls got up and headed for the main room to do their cheers and prepare for that day's work. They came in as Chatot was explaining something.

"Ahem! As I was explaining, there is a lake far to the east. There are many aspects of that lake that remain mysterious. We hope to unravel those mysteries. And so, our guild is planning to mount an expedition for the first time in a while."

"An expedition, you say? Yes, please! Yes sirree!" Bidoof cried happily.

"Wow! An expedition!" Mimi the Buneary gasped, hugging her Starly friend. "This is gonna be great, Feather!"

"Too bad we can't go, Doom," Claw groaned.

"That's the price we pay for being graduates, Claw. Right, Fang?" the bigger Houndoom asked.

"Indeed." Fang nodded.

"It's been a long time since we went on an expedition!" Sunflora giggled.

"Yeah, it _has_ been a long time. Funny how time flies like that." Fear laughed.

His teammates shook their heads in shame.

"But..." Loudred started. "That means you're going to be picking members for the expedition from ALL of us again, right?"

"Not we graduates, Loudred," Yena barked. "We can't take part in this unless Wigglytuff says otherwise. Plus, we graduates can go anytime. We don't need to go right now."

"Oh," Loudred muttered. "Sorry."

"Don't mind her," Bone said. "We have better places to be right now. Maybe she'll change her mind once the expedition draws closer."

"Precisely!" Chatot nodded. "We will depart in several days. Over these next few days, we will choose the most worthy apprentices. As Yena mentioned, graduates cannot take part in the expedition this time. The chosen members will form the expedition party. Everyone, work hard so that you may be chosen for the expedition!"

"Oh my gosh, this is so exciting!" Sunflora laughed happily.

"Yup yup! I've yet to go on an expedition," Bidoof said. "I would surely love to go this time!"

"Fade, this would be the perfect chance for you to get stronger," Salazar the Scyther encouraged. "Time to show them what Team Fading Blade can do."

"Uh-huh!" the Dratini nodded, blushing slightly. "I'll do my best!"

"Let's work at it and get picked as members!" Loudred yelled.

"You got that right, Loudred!" Sparks cried. _Maybe Shelly will get assigned to travel with me. Sweet!_

"All right, everyone." Chatot silenced everyone. "It's back to work as usual."

"HOORAY!" everyone cheered before heading out to do their daily jobs.

"Ah, you two," Chatot said to Team Moonlight. "Today, I want you two to check the Job Bulletin Board and Outlaw Notice Board and handle their listed jobs. That will do for now."

"Right on it!" Shelly nodded as the duo raced up the ladder.

"So today they want us to work on the jobs listed on these two boards, right?" Flare asked. "Let's try to do as many jobs as we can. Then they'll have to pick us for the expedition party! Let's go check now, Shelly."

"Okay!"

As Team Moonlight went toward the Job Bulletin Board, they noticed two strangely familiar Pokemon: a blue bat and a floating purple ball with gas floating around it.

"Look! Those Pokemon..." Flare said.

"Haven't we seen them before?" Shelly asked.

The bat, overhearing them, turned.

"Hey!" he yelped, flapping backward slightly.

The gas ball floated beside his partner, also shocked. "You two?!"

"Huh? That duo..." Flare muttered, thinking hard. "Wait, haven't we seen them before?" Then she remembered the Beach Cave incident. "I... I remember! They're the two crooks who stole my mom's Relic Fragment! What are they doing here?!"

"Whatever it is, we'll show them who's boss!" Shelly growled, sparks flying from her cheeks.

"Whoa-ho-ho! I'll have you know that we're an exploration team, too," Koffing replied.

"Heh-heh-heh. What's so funny about an exploration team checking out the Job Bulletin Board?" Zubat asked, smirking.

"What?!" Flare gasped. "You're an exploration team?!"

"An exploration team? I highly doubt that, losers," Shelly said, readying to attack.

Koffing nodded, grinning. "That's right. Though the way we operate isn't always...by the book. But what a surprise! Why would you be here?"

"We wanted to become exploration team members," Flare said, ears pointed backwards. "That's why we're training at this guild."

"Whaaaat?!" Koffing cried.

"You want to become a real-deal exploration team member?!" Zubat asked.

The thieving duo looked at one another for a moment before nodding. They quickly flew on either side of the Vulpix.

"You! Come with us for a second," Koffing said.

"W-what is it?" Flare yelped, scared as the duo pulled her away from the Pikachu.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Shelly cried.

"Cool it, mouse! We just want to chat with your friend, that's all. Just stay right there, it'll only take a second!" Zubat replied.

The duo shoved Flare and stood between her and Shelly.

"Now don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way. You should just forget about being on an exploration team!" Koffing said.

"What?! Why?!" Flare demanded.

"Well, you're timid. You scare easy," Zubat explained. "A scaredy-cat like you can't cut it on an exploration team."

"B-but!" Flare started, getting even more scared. Suddenly, she burst between them and ran to Shelly's side. "It-it's true that I'm timid...but that's why I'm in training! So I can overcome my own shortcomings! Even now, I'm working hard to be picked for the guild's expedition!"

"Flare!" Shelly hissed.

"Oh? An expedition, you say?" Koffing chuckled.

"Well, effort only gets you so far," Zubat pointed out. "You won't get picked for the expedition party if you don't have talent, right? It all comes down to talent... Pure talent!"

"B-big talk!" Flare barked. "You sure talk a lot about talent, but what kind of skills do you have? You were so weak, we even beat you!"

"Yeah, you guys have zero talent so shut your mouths!" Shelly added. "Or I'll shut them for you."

"Whoa-ho-ho! Well, we didn't have the Chief with us. I'd love to see you try shutting our mouths with him around," Koffing dared.

"Gladly!" the Pikachu hissed, sparks crackling.

"C-Chief?" Flare asked.

"Heh-heh. That's right." Zubat nodded.

"Team Skull, our exploration team, has three members," Koffing explained.

"Our Chief is incredibly talented," Zubat added.

"To put it bluntly, he's brutally tough."

"Heh-heh. If the Chief were around, we'd snap you two like twigs."

"Whoa-ho-ho!" Koffing suddenly laughed triumphantly. "Speaking of the Chief, I can smell him coming now!"

"Smell?" Flare asked.

"Ugh!" Shelly covered her nose. "I can definitely smell _something_ coming!"

"Here's the Chief!" Zubat cried.

Suddenly, a large purple and white skunk climbed down the ladder. Turning to Shelly, he growled, "Move! Out of the way!" He blew a cloud of gas at her, sending the Pikachu crashing to the ground.

"Oh, Shelly!" Flare cried. _Oh, great! It just has to be a Skuntank!_ "Ugh! What's that awful stench?"

The gas cloud floated over to the apprentices gathered near Chimecho's Assembly.

"Eek! It reeks like rotten cheese!" Sunflora cried.

"That is foul, yes sirree!" Bidoof gasped, covering his nose.

"Hey, hey! My eyes are burning!" Corphish yelped.

The Skuntank turned to Flare. "Move it! Or do you want to end up like that wimp over there?" he asked, growling.

"Oh no..." Flare obediently got out of his way.

"Chief!" Koffing cried.

"You showed them, Chief! You're the best!" Zubat praised.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Skuntank said, bored. "So, you two, did you sniff out any jobs that'll bring in the cash?"

"The Job Bulletin Board only posted cheap tasks, but..." Koffing explained.

"But there's something else, Chief. It's got the potential to go big..." Zubat whispered something to the Skuntank before quickly backing up.

"What? An expedition from this guild?" Skuntank asked. "That does sound tasty."

"Doesn't it?" Koffing asked.

"Let's get out of here. We need to do some plotting," Skuntank ordered. "Come on. We're going."

"Yeah!" Zubat and Koffing agreed.

After Skuntank climbed up the ladder, the other two noticed the apprentices staring.

"What are you all staring at? This isn't a public performance!" Koffing shouted.

The apprentices went back to their own business as the gas ball flew up the ladder.

"Heh-heh, see you around, wimps." Zubat chuckled to Team Moonlight before flying up the ladder.

"Are you OK, Shelly?!" Flare asked, dashing over to her partner. The Vulpix sighed in relief as the Pikachu staggered to her feet. "Great! It doesn't look like you're injured."

"I'm not hurt, just really smelly. Ugh, that guy _reeked_!" Shelly whined.

"That was rough, though." Flare whimpered, glancing at the ladder. "I couldn't work up the courage to challenge him to his face. Even though he hurt you, Shelly... I'm ashamed of myself..."

"Hey, don't feel bad. I couldn't shut their mouths like I said I could if that guy were around," Shelly pointed out. "And he didn't hurt me."

"They're right. I am a wimp... A big chicken." Flare whimpered, ears pointing backward sadly.

"You're not a wimp, Flare," Shelly reassured her. "You're the bravest Pokemon I know."

"Really?" Tears were stinging Flare's eyes. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Shelly. But...I really am a wimp. But that's nothing new for me. I've decided that I can still do my best even if I'm not very brave. I'm not going to give up over something like this. I'm going to be cheerful and keep trying. Thanks Shelly!"

"No problem, Flare. It's what friends do."

"For now, we'd better keep working like we've been doing. Today we're supposed to be handling jobs on both boards. Let's keep at it, Shelly!"

"Gladly, Flare!" As they looked through missions on the Job bulletin Board, Shelly spotted one job in particular. "Hey, Flare, look at this!"

"What is it?" the Vulpix asked. "I'll read it."

_"Dear exploration teams,_

_My name is Molt and I'm part of Team Frostburn. My brother, Freeze, and I were recently attacked by a Shadow Wolf and defeated. I escaped from the top floor of Drenched Bluff but my brother has not returned yet. Somebody please help him! He's a Glaceon and he's on the top floor, but it's possible the Shadow Wolf may still be there. Freeze should be located near a Magmar statue. Reward offered for anyone who will help me!"_

"What?! That means Freeze has been in Drenched Bluff for one night already!" Flare cried.

"Maybe we should get Molt to help us rescue him," Shelly suggested.

"Good idea!" the Vulpix nodded. "Let's go talk to Molt!"

_Team Frostburn's room..._

Molt was curled up in his bed, crying his eyes out. He'd left his brother at Drenched Bluff even though Freeze had ordered him to. Freeze's badge had not brought him back and Molt had already posted a rescue mission on the Job Bulletin Board to see if anyone would help him. But with the other attack victims still injured, none of the other teams seemed to be able to help him.

"Freeze, please hang in there." The Flareon sobbed. "I promise I'll save you but how can I get back there? That wolf might still be there and I'm too scared to fight it alone. Oh, what can I do?"

"Molt, are you there?" It was Flare's voice.

"Flare? What is it?" He wiped the tears away and sat up as Team Moonlight entered his room.

"We've come to accept your rescue of Freeze," Shelly explained. "We want you to come with us so you can get Freeze out while we deal with the Shadow Wolf...if it's even still there."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Molt cried. _Don't worry, Freeze. We're coming to save you!_ "Let's go!"

The trio raced out of the guild, down the steps, and to the left as they ran toward Drenched Bluff in search of the trapped Glaceon. As they ran passed the Assembly Bell, they never saw a pair of glowing red eyes peering out from a nearby bush.

"Ooh! Looks like they're going back to play! I better tell Oswald to prepare for Round 2!" The wolf, a female, laughed softly as she vanished.

But if the wolf would have stayed a moment longer, she would have seen a second exploration team quickly following Molt's group... A second group containing a young Mareep and a Pachirisu riding on her head... A Mareep that would have looked slightly familiar to the Shadow Wolf...

_Drenched Bluff, top floor..._

"Well, we're here. Now to see if that dumb wolf comes out," Shelly muttered, cheeks sparking.

"Hey, there's that statue!" Flare cried, pointing to the stone Magmar.

"And there's Freeze!" Molt added. "Freeze, we're here to rescue you!" He quickly dashed to his brother's side.

"Molt, come back!" Flare cried just as the room turned pitch black. "Uh-oh..."

"Molt, stay there!" Shelly ordered.

"O-okay!" the Flareon whimpered, grabbing his badge. "Should I leave with Freeze?"

"Go ahead, Molt. We'll deal with this guy," Shelly said.

Molt nodded and used his badge to teleport back to the guild. Just a second after they were gone, a set of claws crashed down where they once were.

"I missed!" a female voice hissed.

"Have you come to challenge me also?" Oswald asked, stepping out of the shadows. "If so, I accept. By master's orders, no one shall come to this floor without being forced to leave."

"Can't we just play with them first?" the female wolf asked, stepping out nearby Oswald. She had a jade-colored stone collar around her neck with the Unown letter K engraved in the center stone. "Come on, quit acting so 'I want a fair fight'-ish! Have some fun for once."

"I believe in only fair fights, Jade," Oswald replied coldly. "Playing around with your opponent is not honorable. A fight with both combatants fighting their hardest is the most honorable thing a warrior can ask of one another."

"Aww, you party pooper! Fine, you can do your 'honorable' mumbo jumbo on the fox while I get to play with the mouse. Deal?" the female wolf, Jade, argued. "That way, we get both of our ways."

"...Fine," Oswald replied.

He turned and pounced, instantly making Team Moonlight separate. He jumped and landed near Flare, preparing to attack.

"Ready to battle?"

"Of course I am!" the Vulpix growled, fire building up in her jaws. "And you're going to regret coming here! Ember!"

The Shadow Wolf ducked, dodging the blow, and lashed out with his claws. When that failed, he relied on his speed and strength to fight. Flare kept dishing out the attacks, though most were easily dodged by the larger creature. After a few minutes of this, Oswald finally pinned her down.

"I finally have you. That was a nice show you put on..."

"Flare. The name's Flare," the Vulpix replied, smirking. "And I'm not done yet. Ember!"

"What?!" Oswald tried to pull away but the flames burnt the left part of his lower jaw, cheek, and ear. Howling in pain, he leaped away to recover from the surprise attack. _She's craftier than I thought. But it was my fault for lowering my guard for her to take advantage of. Ouch, that stings!_

Meanwhile, Jade and Shelly were just staring at one another. Unlike Oswald, Jade enjoyed taking her time and playing with her opponents before she fights for real. Jade slowly circled the Pikachu, taunting her and daring her to attack but knowing it was futile. As much as she enjoyed her little game of cat and mouse, something told her that something was wrong.

 _All right, let's get serious now._ As she prepared to pounce, the sound of rocks tumbling softly to the ground caught her attention. She quickly turned, entirely forgetting about Shelly. "What was that?"

"NOW!" three female voices shouted.

As the wolf twirled around, three separate blasts of electricity crashed into her. Jade screamed, barely making out the shapes of a mouse, a sheep, and a squirrel as her attackers.

Jade's scream attracted Oswald's attention, tearing his focus from his opponent to his partner. Abandoning his fight, he unleashed a Dark Blade and watched as the trio scattered. Growling about them not being honorable, he limped to Jade and nudged her side with his muzzle.

"Jade, are you okay? Jade?" he asked.

"Ugh... What hit me?" the younger wolf moaned, opening her red eyes tiredly. "It smells like something's burning..."

"That would probably be me," Oswald informed her, turning so she could see the burnt fur on the left side of his face. "It will be gone by the time we leave here, Jade. Shall we finish our fight?"

"Sure, like I care. Man, that was so unfair!" Jade whined. "Three on one isn't fair!"

"Now do you see why I enjoy fair and honorable fights?" Oswald asked.

"...Shut up!" Jade snapped.

"Hey, who are you guys?" Flare asked, reuniting with her partner. "I've never seen you before? Are you an exploration team too?"

"Yes!" the Pachirisu cried, perching on the Mareep's head. "We're an exploration team too!"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. We're the Silver-ranked Team Shocker," the Mareep introduced. "I'm Mary, the leader, and this is Patsy, my partner. Who are you?"

"I'm Flare and this is Shelly. We're Team Moonlight," the Vulpix replied. "As for our rank, we're... Um..."

"Basically, we're rookies," Shelly summed up.

"Rookies?!" Mary shouted. "What are rookies doing fighting Shadow Wolves?! You should be at the guild, not here! If you two get killed, this'll be on my head! Great Arceus, you rookies are getting dumber by the day! This is dangerous, you know!"

"You shut up!" Shelly growled. "We've been fighting these guys since our third mission! Sure, it wasn't official but who's counting?! All I know is we've been fighting for just as long, maybe even longer, than you have! Get it? Got it? Good!"

"...She got you _bad_ , Mary." Patsy giggled.

"You're still just Normal-ranked rookies, no matter how many times you've fought these guys!" Mary protested angrily. "You shouldn't be fighting when you have older, more experienced teams to do that for you. Now use your badge and get out of here! Leave this to us!"

"No way!" the Pikachu snarled.

"Why won't you listen to me?!" Mary demanded.

"Because you're not the boss of us!" Shelly snapped.

"I'm getting tired of hearing them bicker," Oswald muttered.

"I'll shut them up then. Dark Blade!" Jade howled, unleashing the attack.

The four Pokemon, unprepared for the assault, were thrown into the walls and crumbled to the ground in pain.

"There, did that work?" Jade asked, smirking.

Oswald sighed, annoyed. _She never gave them a chance to react and try to defend against it. Why did I have to get her as a partner?_

As the two exploration teams tried to get up, two more Shadow Wolves stepped out of the walls. The male wore a red collar with a black teardrop on the center stone, nearly covering the Unown letter L engraved in it. The female wore a black collar with a red teardrop on the center stone and the Unown letter L carved into it. Both Oswald and Jade lowered their heads in submission to the higher-ranked wolves.

"Oswald, Jade..." the male said.

"Yes, Seth?" Oswald asked. "What does master wish of us?"

"Master says it's time to move on," the female replied, yawning. "This place has lost its purpose to him, so we have to leave here. Man, he's such a bore sometimes."

"How dare you, Yonaka!" Jade barked. "How can you just insult our master like that?!"

"I just can. What's he gonna do, kill me? I don't really care for his orders, he just points out the obvious," the female, Yonaka, said. "Are we going now? I'm tired and I need a nap."

"Let's go, you three." Seth started to move, only to notice their four guests. "Yonaka, get rid of them."

"Okay." Yonaka stalked toward the four Pokemon and raised a paw. Slashing her claws through the shadow behind them, a simple shove threw all four into the shadow and teleported them away. "Done."

"Weren't you supposed to kill them?" Oswald asked, confused.

"We don't kill unless it's absolutely necessary, Oswald. Come, we're leaving now."

Seth led the other three wolves into the shadows and teleported away to see their master.

_In the future, Dark Crater..._

Scarface sighed as she watched the young Vulpix cubs running around the huge den. She still hated that their world must be destroyed but knew it was for the best. She saw her best friend Tornear chatting with two others, Raggedfur and Brokentooth. But there was a Ninetales that she had noticed had gone missing for quite a while.

Dark, the Shadow Ninetales that had brought her here. He had been missing not long after she got here. Scarface didn't know why she was so worried about him all of a sudden. His kind were dangerous, bloodthirsty killing machines made by humans a long time ago.

 _So why am I so worried about him?_ she wondered.

"Is somethin' wrong, Scarface?" Moss, one of the elderly male Ninetales, asked.

"Do you know where Dark is?" she asked hesitantly. "I haven't seen him in a while and... Well..."

Moss started laughing an old, cracked laugh. "Eheheh! It's all righ', Scarface. Ever' one here gets attached to him sooner or later. Don' feel ashamed of it," he reassured her. "I'm sure he's off lookin' for other exiles like us to join the pack. He'll be back soon."

"...Thank you, Moss." Scarface nodded.

"O' course, Scarface. You come to ol' Moss if you need anymore help," Moss encouraged before limping off.

When Scarface looked up at the entrance, she was surprised to see Dark standing there with two more Ninetales. He entered, the exiled duo quietly following him. Fear radiated off of them in waves and their scars looked fresh. Both were young females, a bit younger than Scarface. As the Shadow Pokemon reached the bottom, he instantly came to her and asked her to care for them. She nodded, agreeing.

After the duo settled down and introduced themselves, Scarface felt jealously rise up in her as she saw Dark nuzzling Brokentooth. _Why do I feel this way around him? Why am I jealous all of a sudden?_ She ignored him and turned to the new ones, Crookedjaw and One-eye. _I'm sure this feeling will pass in time. It just has to... It has to..._

_In the future, Temporal Tower..._

Dust floated through the air as Primal Ninetales stalked through the corridors of his master's domain. He wondered if his daughter realized that the dead Ninetales he had sent to the past was her mother. Or more precisely, his master had sent to the past. A small group of Sableye, including the only red-eyed female of the group, followed him as he went up the floors.

His master had indeed given the Sableye army to his hated rival, that Ghost-type. Primal Ninetales himself was given only a small number of 'personal guards' to protect him from attack. As if they _could_ guard anything properly in the first place.

As he neared the top floor, he saw the room grow steadily darker. As much as he hated to admit it, he hated being in a pitch black room for long periods of time. Breaking into a run, he and the Sableye were almost at the stairs when a lupine figure pounced out a wall and blocked his only exit.

"What are you? What do you want?" Primal Ninetales struggled to keep his voice calm.

"My name is none of your concern, Primal Ninetales," the voice, undoubtedly male, growled. "I've come to give you a message from my master. Your rule is drawing to a close, along with your life."

"What? What does that mean?!" Primal Ninetales roared.

"Times are changing and we'll rule this world soon," the Shadow Wolf continued. "The moment snow starts to fall in the desert will mark the beginning of our rule."

"What are you?!"

"I'm a Shadow Wolf. Don't forget what I've told you." The wolf jumped into the floor and the room lit up again.

"Whe he?" the Sableye whimpered.

"...Let's go report this to master." Primal Ninetales and his guards raced up the stairs. _"The moment snow starts to fall in the desert will mark the beginning of our rule." What in the world does that mean? Snow cannot fall in a desert!_

_In the past, Northern Desert..._

A small Sandshrew peered out of its den and stared in amazement at what it was seeing. Coming out, it instantly ran back inside when the cold stuff touched its skin.

"What is that white stuff?" it wondered.

Slowly falling from the sky, which had become dark and cloudy like a storm, were tiny glittering...snowflakes.


	9. Clash with the Raptors

The first thing Shelly heard was the sound of waves lapping on the beach. Groaning, she opened her eyes and blinked sleepily.

"W-where are we?" she coughed, tasting saltwater in her mouth. Then she realized something. "Flare? Patsy? Mary? Where are you guys?!"

"Ugh... Whoever is shouting, shut up already," a familiar voice grumbled.

The Pikachu dashed over to the Mareep, whose wet wool made her look even smaller. Curled up by her side was Patsy and lying a few feet away was Flare.

"Are you all okay? Hey, get up!"

"I'm up, I'm up!" Mary spat, struggling to her feet. She shivered, shaking herself off. "Where are we?"

"We seem to be...on a beach somewhere," the Vulpix muttered, sticking her tongue out in disgust after attempting to lick her fur. "Gross! I hate saltwater!"

"You hate all water, Flare." Shelly giggled.

"Patsy, time to get up," Mary said, nudging the Pachirisu awake.

"Okay...but I'm still sleepy!" Patsy complained.

"How did we end up here?" Shelly asked.

"It must have been that Shadow Wolf that attacked us in Drenched Bluff," Mary deducted. "She tore her claws into a shadow and shoved us, and then we ended up here."

"But how?" Shelly persisted.

"Who in Arceus' name knows?!" Mary snapped. "But we have to get back to the guild, and soon before Wigglytuff gets worried!"

"But—" Shelly started.

"Shelly, Mary's right," Flare admitted. "We need to find our way back to Treasure Town, and fast. Those wolves might come back for us soon."

"Wolves? Where?!" Patsy yelped.

"Nowhere...yet," Mary reassured her. "So, where do we go first?"

"I dunno. Anywhere but here," the Pikachu suggested.

"Good idea. Just one question," the Mareep said. "WHERE IN ARCEUS' NAME ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GO?! WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THE HECK WE ARE!"

"Eep!" The Pikachu quickly scrambled behind Flare, trembling. "Sorry! It was just a suggestion!"

"Shelly has a point though, Mary," Flare pointed out. "We're not getting anywhere sitting here, so we better start searching for a means to go some. And we won't find that until we get off this beach and start exploring."

"Like exploring a new mystery dungeon?" Patsy asked.

"Um... I guess so." Flare nodded.

"Cool! Let's go, Mary! We've got some exploring to do!" The Pachirisu hopped onto her leader's head, smiling. "Come on, let's go!"

"Thanks for getting her hyped up about this, Flare," Mary said sarcastically, glaring at the Fire-type. "Fine, let's start looking. If we're lucky, we're just in an unexplored section of the continent that Treasure Town is on."

"And if we're not lucky?" Shelly asked.

"I'm not even going to think about that," the Mareep replied. "Now move it! Let's hop to it, guys!"

"Yay! Another adventure!" Patsy cried, waving her arms happily.

"...She's happy," Shelly muttered.

"I don't recognize anything here." Flare sniffed the plants just on the edge of the massive forest just beyond the beach. "We might have to go through here before we find anything familiar. Maybe we can find someone who knows where we are."

"Yeah, well—hey, be quiet!" Mary suddenly barked. "Do you guys hear that?"

"Huh?"

All four Pokemon fell silent as they attempted to search for the sound. Then they finally heard it.

"HELP! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP ME!"

"Someone's in trouble!" Shelly cried. "We have to help them!"

"Hang on!" the Mareep snapped. "We don't even know where they are. For all we know, it could be a trap set up by those wolves!"

"I don't care, Mary!" the Pikachu shouted. "Someone's in trouble and I'm gonna help them, with or without your help! Come on, Flare!"

"Uh, okay." The Vulpix quickly followed her once-human friend as she raced further down the beach.

"Mary, are we going, too?" Patsy asked.

"No, Patsy. We're going home," Mary replied coldly, turning toward the forest. "This is why I hate rookies. They never listen. Well then, they can find their own way home."

"But shouldn't we help?"

"No and I don't plan to, Patsy. Let's go."

Reluctantly, the Pachirisu stuck with her leader as the two Electric-types entered the jungle.

If Mary had just turned around one final time before entering the forest, she would have seen a large crocodilian form floating at the surface of the sea. His eyes narrowed as he watched the four separate, two to the forest and two heading for a large stone cave further down the beach. He dragged himself onto the shore and stood up, revealing himself as a Feraligatr.

"Well, I better warn Horus that we have company now," the Feraligatr grumbled. "Don't want him attacking them and thinking they're enemies, now would we?"

As he entered the forest, an exploration team badge was being clutched tightly in the Water-type's clawed hand. A dark blue gem shone from the middle of the badge and above it, a name was carved into it.

_Team Raptors: Croc O. Dylian_

_Further down the beach..._

"PLEASE HELP! SOMEBODY!"

"We're coming!" Shelly cried. "Just hang on!"

"Shelly, look!" Flare barked, pointing ahead. "It's a pack of Poochyena! They must've ambushed someone!"

"Then let's ambush those Poochyena and see how _they_ like it!"

The Pikachu ran as fast as she could and rammed into the first Poochyena she spotted. A second and a third was knocked down by Flare, leaving only seven Poochyena standing. All of them turned toward the intruders.

"Come and get us, boys!" Shelly taunted.

The Poochyena attacked but proved to be far too weak against the pair of Level 13 Pokemon. As the Dark-types fled, Shelly turned toward the Pokemon they were attacking.

"Hey, are you okay? You're safe now. We chased those mean Poochyena away."

"Y-y-you d-did?" a shaky voice, obviously female, asked. "Th-they are r-really g-gone? Th-thank you!"

"You can come out, kid," Flare said gently. "We won't hurt you. We're an exploration team. We save Pokemon in need, not hurt them."

"O-okay..."

Slowly, a small blue dog-like Pokemon with a large fin on her head stepped out from the cave. It was a young Mudkip and she was covered in scratches and bruises from the Poochyena pack.

"Thank you so much for saving me. Those Poochyena have been chasing me for a long time and I don't know why."

"Probably because you were weaker than them," Flare suggested. "Do you think you'll be okay?"

"Y-yeah, I th-think so." Then the Mudkip watched in horror as the duo attempted to leave. "W-wait! Don't leave me alone, please!"

"We have to find our friends, Shelly. We can't bring her with us," Flare said firmly as if reading her friend's mind.

"But she's all alone, Flare. You saw how those Poochyena attacked her," Shelly argued. "We're supposed to protect weak Pokemon and that's what I want to do. I'm bringing her with us and I'll protect her. That okay with you?"

"F-fine! But she's your responsibility, Shelly," Flare declared.

"Sure, whatever." Shelly shrugged. "I can handle caring for a little Mudkip, no sweat! This'll be a breeze. We're exploration Team Moonlight! Nothing can beat us!"

The Mudkip just stared in awe. _An exploration team? That sounds so cool! And that Pikachu looks so brave!_ "My name is Lili."

"Oh, hi! My name is Shelly and that's Flare," the Pikachu introduced. "We're looking for our friends, Mary and Patsy. They're a Mareep and a Pachirisu."

"Cool! Hey, um, I was wondering if..." Lili blushed, embarrassed. _What if they turn me down? I'm just a weak little Mudkip and these guys are nearly twice my level! Oh, Arceus, please let them say yes!_ "C-could I join your exploration team?"

"Huh?" Shelly looked shocked before smiling. "Sure, why not?"

"Y-you really mean it? But I'm only Level 5!" Lili cried.

"So what? You can get stronger real fast with us, Lili," the Pikachu replied.

"So, it seems we find a new member in this strange place." Flare chuckled. "Oh yeah... Lili, where are we exactly?"

"Uh... On the beach?" the Mudkip squeaked.

"No, I mean...do you know _where_ we are?" Seeing the confused look, the Vulpix groaned. "You know, forget it. Let's just find Mary and Patsy, find out where we are, and get back to Wigglytuff's Guild."

"Wigglytuff's Guild? I've heard of that place!" Lili cried.

"What?! Do you know if we're anywhere near there, Lili?" Flare asked.

"Yeah!" The Mudkip turned toward the forest and pointed. "It ought to be on the other side of the island, Flare."

"Mary was right, Shelly!" the Vulpix cheered. "We're still on the continent! We just need to keep going south and we'll be in Treasure Town in no time!"

"Yes! Thank you so much, Lili!" Shelly grinned, hugging the Mudkip.

"I helped? I actually helped someone? Cool!" Lili cried, hugging the Pikachu back. "I love this team already!"

"Okay, guys, let's go find Team Shocker and get going!" Flare said. "If we keep going south, we should reach Treasure Town in three or four days!"

"All right then, let's go!" Shelly cried, leading the way as the trio entered the forest.

As they passed by, a large green 'tree' opened its bright yellow eyes and watched them. Once they were a good distance away, the 'tree' revealed itself to be a Sceptile. Plucking a twig from a low branch, he gnawed on it nervously.

"Intruders? Why didn't Croc signal a warning? Did they already beat him?" Looking around nervously, he leapt into the foliage and sped away. "I have to warn Horus that there are intruders here!"

An exploration badge was clutched tightly in his hand, too. Above the blue gem, a name was carved into it. _Team Raptors: Geckon Jukai._

_Deep in the forest, with Mary and Patsy..._

"Admit it, Mary! We're lost!" Patsy whined. "I swear we passed that tree three times already!"

"How would you know?" the Mareep growled. Her patience for this forest was growing thin and she felt like shocking something...and that something would not be Patsy.

"Because I left that half-chewed pinecone by the base." The Pachirisu pointed to it. "See?"

"...Whatever!"

Then she heard it. A twig snapping nearby, just across the clearing. Without hesitation, she unleashed a blast of electricity and aimed it at the bushes. A loud scream tore through the air and Mary's electricity was blasted away by a psychic attack. The Mareep prepared for a counterattack.

"Okay, come out! I have you cornered!" Mary shouted.

A green and white Pokemon collapsed from within the bushes, falling into the clearing.

"Uh oh!" Patsy said. "I think you hit something you shouldn't have, Mary."

"Yeah, well..."

Then Mary saw the badge lying on the ground by the unconscious Pokemon. A blue gem sat at its center and a name was carved into it. _Team Raptors: Garde Devoir._

"Oh, Arceus no! What is _she_ doing here?!"

"Who, Mary? Who is it?" Patsy asked.

"She's a member of the Diamond-ranked Team Raptors, Patsy. Her name is Garde Devoir and she is the leader, Horus Blazer's, girlfriend. Oh, he's going to kill me! What is Team Raptors doing out here of all places?!" Mary howled.

"We were..." Mary stared as the Pokemon slowly sat up, coughing. "We were training, actually. Now, who are you and what is your purpose here?"

"I'm Mary and this is Patsy. We're Team Shocker from Wigglytuff's Guild."

"Oh, so you're a fellow exploration team?" Garde asked.

"Yeah." Mary nodded. "We got sent here by Shadow Wolves and we're trying to get back to the guild. Unfortunately, the other two members of our group separated from us to help someone and they haven't turned up yet."

"Shadow Wolves?" Garde muttered. "Well, you have run into Croc, I presume."

"Uh, Croc?"

"Croc, our Feraligatr lookout. If you were on the beach, you would've met him and been granted safe passage through this area," the Gardevoir explained.

"Um, sorry but we didn't see a Feraligatr," Mary admitted.

Garde suddenly grew very pale. "Oh no... No, this can't be happening. If your two friends encounter Geckon or Horus and fight, Horus will surely think of them as threats. We have to find your friends and warn them before Horus finds them! He's ruthless around intruders!"

"Mary, we have to find Team Moonlight!" Patsy cried.

"Yeah, we better find them! And fast!" the Mareep agreed.

"I will come with you," Garde insisted. "If a fight breaks out, I can keep Geckon and Horus busy while you retrieve your friends. Hopefully, Croc did see you and will tell Horus before it is too late. We must find them at once!"

"Right!"

The trio raced off in search of Team Moonlight. Mary and Patsy felt a mixture of fear, awe, and anger in the situation. Fear that Team Moonlight would be hurt or killed. Awe that they found Team Raptors and might get to see them fight. And anger that they had split up from Team Moonlight in the first place!

_Deep in the center of the forest..._

"Horus! Horus!" Geckon cried, bursting out of the forest and into the clearing. "Horus, we have intruders! A Pikachu, a Vulpix, and a Mudkip are headed in this direction! I heard no signal from Croc, good or bad, and I fear he has been defeated!"

A Blaziken turned to look at his teammate, his badge held in his hand. Newly polished, the name stood out against the smooth surface. _Team Raptors: Horus Blazer._

"Geckon, are you sure? Maybe Croc missed them," he suggested. "Did you see a badge on them?"

"No, I did not." The Sceptile felt the twig snap in two and he tossed it aside, reaching for a new one. "What should we do, Horus? No one knows that we are out here. Should we fight them?"

"Maybe." the Blaziken shrugged. "If they can make it through the forest and reach our location, then we'll fight them. They must be strong to make it through this forest. By the way, have you seen Garde anywhere? She hasn't come back yet."

"Worried, Horus?" Geckon asked teasingly.

"A little bit," Horus admitted. "But you can't blame me. This forest is full of dangers and Garde's the weakest of our team. I'd never forgive myself if she got hurt out here."

"I can go search for her," Geckon quickly volunteered.

"No, don't bother. She's probably taking her time getting back here," Horus said. "It's summer and the flowers are blooming. She's probably admiring them and is losing track of time."

"That is possible, Horus. I guess we wait for Croc and Garde to come back then." The Sceptile jumped up and landed on a thick tree branch high above his Fire-type leader. Lying on his back stretched out on the branch, he closed his eyes. "I'm going to take a nap, Horus. Wake me when the intruders get here."

" _If_ they even get here," Horus reminded.

Geckon simply groaned and rolled onto his side, falling asleep.

Horus sat and waited. I _actually hope those intruders make it this far. I've been itching to fight another worthy opponent for a long time now. This forest has become too weak for me and I know my teammates' moves too well. I want someone worthy of my strength, someone to match my speed and my attacks blow for blow. Arceus, I hope these intruders are just who I'm looking for..._

_Deep in the forest, with Team Moonlight..._

"Thundershock!" Shelly smirked as a Zigzagoon fled in fear of her. "There, how was that? I told you we could take them, Flare!"

"Indeed, you did." The Vulpix blew an Ember as an attacking Tangela. "Why do Monster Houses have to be so packed?"

"Who knows?" Lili chirped, tackling a Seedot that had wandered too close. _This is so much fun and I'm getting stronger, too!_

"There!" Flare cried, finally beating the last opponent in the room. "I absolutely _hate_ Monster Houses!" she snarled, picking up a Red Gummi and eating it. "Mmm! Yummy!"

As the trio kept walking, the opponents became tougher and tougher. At one point, they encountered a powerful Tangrowth that nearly knocked all three of them out if Lili hadn't used their last Blast Seed to beat it. Now with only one Reviver Seed left, Team Moonlight had to be more careful if they wished to keep moving. But Shelly was getting tired.

"Hey, what's that?" Lili asked, pointing to a shredded scarf lying at the base of a tree.

"Shelly, touch it," Flare said. "You might get a vision of something."

"A vision? You get visions, Shelly?" the young Mudkip asked.

"Yeah." The Pikachu nodded. "It's really weird but it's true. When I touch certain things, I get visions of either the past or future regarding the object or person."

"You can get vision by touching Pokemon, too?! Cool!" Lili cried. _I really did join an awesome team!_

Shelly touched the scarf and waited. The flashes came instantly before exploding into light. Then the vision started.

 _Two green gecko-like Pokemon were resting by the tree, talking. Clutched in the smaller one's hand was a blue gear-like object. Then the bigger gecko said something strange. "Only four more to go, Cecil. Four more and the future will be saved from that never-ending darkness. Then I might be able to see_ her _again...my partner."_ The vision faded just as the smaller Pokemon nodded, replying with a _"Yes, sir."_

Shelly blinked in confusion.

 _What was that?_ She wondered. _Who were those Pokemon? One was named Cecil but the other didn't say his name. And what was that thing Cecil was holding? A blue gear? Well, that's not what I wanted to see... Maybe next time I'll see something important._

"Shelly, what did you see?" Flare asked.

"I saw two green Pokemon talking under this tree. The smaller one, Cecil, was holding a blue gear thing. It doesn't help us find where Mary and Patsy are, though."

"Oh well, maybe next time. Let's keep moving," Flare said.

As the duo started off, Lili touched the scarf and waited. No vision came. "Awww..." _I guess I can't get visions like Shelly can. Maybe she can teach me how she gets them! Yeah!_ "Hey, wait up for me, guys!"

"What were you doing back there, Lili?" Flare asked.

"Trying to get a vision like Shelly did, but it didn't work," the Mudkip replied sadly. "Shelly, can you teach me how to get visions?"

"Um, well... Actually, I don't even know how I get my visions, Lili," Shelly admitted. "Sorry but I can't teach what I don't know."

"It's okay!" Lili cried. "Then I'll teach myself how to get visions!"

"She's joking...right?" Flare muttered.

"Hey, let her at least try to learn, Flare." The Pikachu laughed. "Come on, Lili! We're leaving!"

"Coming, Shelly!" The Mudkip quickly sped up to join her leader, walking alongside the Pikachu.

Suddenly, they entered a large clearing. Standing in the center of that clearing was a Blaziken and up in the tree above it was a Sceptile, though he seemed different from Scythe. The Blaziken blinked in confusion before smiling.

"So, you're the intruders Geckon told me about?" he asked.

"Intruders?" Flare asked.

"Yeah, that's them, Horus!" The Sceptile in the tree nodded, jumping down to land beside his leader. "They're the intruders I saw."

"Well, they sure got here fast. That's good!" Flames erupted from Horus' wrists and he got into his fighting stance. "It proves how strong you really are. I hope you're the worthy opponents I've been searching for."

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" Shelly declared.

"That's just what I was looking for!" Horus grinned. _She's strong...real strong. I can feel it in my bones. Those other two are too weak but that Pikachu is not. She's who I was looking for... Perfect!_ "Geckon, deal with the Vulpix and the Mudkip. The Pikachu is all mine!"

Geckon nodded and stepped forward, raising an arm. "Ready?"

Flare nodded to Lili, who tensed for battle. "Of course, but you'll be one burnt Grass-type if you fight me," the Vulpix stated.

"Oh, I'll be careful," the Sceptile replied in a mocking tone. "Don't underestimate me!"

"Sure! Whatever you say!" Flare barked. "Ember!"

Geckon growled, jumping up into the trees to get at the sunlight. _I'll beat those two intruders with one attack,_ he decided. Then he saw bubbles floating around him.

"Huh?" With a swipe of his tail, they all popped. "What kind of game are they playing with me?"

"Mud Slap!" Lili cried.

A splash of mud hit the Grass-type in the face, getting in his eyes. "Ugh!" _So, these kids like to play dirty, huh? Well, I can play dirty too!_ "Bullet Seed!"

"Duck and cover!" Flare cried, shoving the Mudkip to the ground and blasting away as many as she could with her Ember attack. _He's not letting up an inch! How is he attacking us directly when he can't see us?_ Then it hit her. _He's tracking us by scent and our voices! These two really are tough opponents..._

"Do you give up now?" Geckon asked, finally wiping the last of the mud off his face.

"No way! Team Moonlight never backs down from a challenge!" the Vulpix said.

 _Team Moonlight? Could these guys be... Oh no!_ Geckon suddenly realized his mistake. These weren't intruders! These were exploration team members! _I'm such an idiot! Why didn't it occur to me to check for a badge? I didn't even remember to search for badges until Horus mentioned it once I came back to camp!_

"Horus, wait! These aren't—AAAAH!" The Sceptile crashed to the ground from his perch on the tree.

Flare smiled. "We've got him, Lili! Let's teach him who's boss!"

"Yeah!" Lili nodded.

Geckon groaned, glancing at Horus' battle out of the corner of his eye. _Horus, wait... Stop... These guys aren't our enemies. They are an exploration team...like us. Please, Horus, stop! Stop! Garde, Croc, where are you two when we need you?_

_Deep in the forest, with Team Shocker and Garde..._

"We should be nearing the camp any minute now," Garde stated. "I pray there is no fighting between our teams but when Horus is in battle, there's no stopping him."

"I hope Shelly and Flare are okay," Patsy whimpered, ears lowering sadly. "They're only Normal Rank and Team Raptors are Diamond Rank. They don't stand a chance against them!"

"I know, Patsy," Mary mumbled. _I knew splitting up was a bad idea but nooooo! I had to let my stupid pride get in the way of teamwork! How stupid am I? Some Silver Rank team leader I am..._

Suddenly, a Feraligatr came out of the bushes in front of them. Patsy screamed and Mary attacked, electrocuting the Water-type. Unprepared, Croc roared before collapsing.

"Wait, stop! It is our lookout, Croc!" Garde cried. "Croc, are you alright?"

"Ugh... I think so. What hit me?" Croc asked, slowly staggering to his feet.

"Um, that would be me," Mary replied. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," Croc said, waving it off. "Garde, why aren't you back at camp?"

"We were just headed for the campsite. Croc, something dreadful has happened," the Gardevoir explained. "The intruders in the forest are another exploration team. We have to—"

"I know, I know. We have to tell Horus before a fight breaks out. Once Horus goes full power, this forest might be destroyed." Croc grunted.

"Then let's go stop them!" Patsy cried.

"Croc, this is Team Shocker from Wigglytuff's Guild," Garde introduced. "The team we are searching for is Team Moonlight of Wigglytuff's Guild."

"Yeah, I saw them all on the beach before they went in the forest." Croc nodded. "Let's get going. The camp's only a few minutes away and—"

"AAAAH!" a voice screamed.

Croc and Garde just stared at each other.

"We're too late!" Garde cried. "That was Geckon! Your friends must be fighting him and Horus!"

"Come on, we got to move it! If we hurry, we might make it in time to stop them before anyone gets hurt too badly!" Croc shouted, breaking into a run. _Horus, Geckon, you two idiots! Did either of them even think of the possibility of the 'intruders' being an exploration team? Idiots!_

 _Flare, Shelly, you two better be okay,_ Mary prayed. _We need to leave this place together!_

_In the forest's center, Horus and Shelly's fight..._

Shelly panted for breath, glaring at her opponent. _He's really strong,_ she thought. _Stronger than anyone I have ever fought before. Just who is this guy?_

Horus was still smiling. _Finally, I've found who I have been searching for. This girl has kept up with me and survived each of my attacks. What she lacks in power, she makes up for in speed and smarts. A good combination, but not good enough to beat me. Even she will fall by my hands!_

Shelly unleashed another Thundershock followed by a Quick Attack. The Blaziken escaped the electric attack and struck, unleashing a Blaze Kick that sent the Pikachu crashing into the trees. Shelly fell to the ground, coughing and feeling blood soaking into her yellow fur. Then her vision started fading.

"Are you beaten, little girl?" Horus asked. "Have you given up yet?"

 _N-no... I won't give up... Not yet..._ Shelly struggled to get up, only to collapse again.

Then she heard it, that evil voice from Mt. Bristle. Shivani's voice! "Yes, Shelly has given up but I have not!"

Shelly blacked out, leaving only the Shadow Pikachu to fight in her place.

Horus watched in amazement as the Pikachu's fur turned black and her eyes became glowing red. Red electricity sparked from her cheeks as she sat up, not a trace of blood on her fur. Shelly was gone now. Shivani was in control once again.

"Who are you?" Horus asked.

"The name is Shivani and I'm a Shadow Pokemon," Shivani replied, baring her fangs as she readied to attack. "You nearly killed Shelly so you will pay, you overgrown bird!"

Horus' eyes widened at the amount of energy radiating off of her. _Now THIS is what I have been waiting for! So this Shivani was who I was waiting to fight, not that little girl from before. NOW I can finally test my powers to their fullest!_ "Well then, let's do this!"

Horus struck with Blaze Kick, only to watch as Shivani became a black blur that crashed into his chest. The Blaziken tore away before a bright red Thundershock hit him, grinning at the scorch mark it left behind.

" _This_ is what I'm talking about!" He used Overheat, only to have it blocked by more red electricity.

"You're strong, I'll give you that much." Shivani vanished, only to reappear high above him. "But not strong enough! Shadow Iron Tail!"

The Pikachu's tail started glowing with red light as she brought it crashing down on his head. Horus yelled as he was buried under the ground. Shivani spun and landed, her glowing tail returning to normal.

"And that's how the cookie crumbles, boys," Shivani purred.

"HORUS!"

Shivani turned to see a Gardevoir burst out from the undergrowth. For a moment, they just stared at each other.

"...Who are you?" Garde asked, feeling afraid. Evil and bloodlust radiated from this dark creature.

"None of your business, Mystic! You know what I am!" Shivani snarled, glaring at the Gardevoir. "You're the one who trapped me here anyways, Mystic! Quit acting dumb!"

"Mystic? I'm afraid you are mistaken," Garde whispered. "Where is Horus? What have you done to him?"

"You mean you know that overgrown bird, Mystic? Man, you have some weird friends!" Shivani spat. "He's buried right over there."

"I am _not_ this Mystic person!" Garde cried. "My name is Garde and I am a part of Team Raptors! Now who are you?!"

"Who am I?" Shivani repeated. "I am Shivani, a Shadow Pokemon!"

 _A Shadow Pokemon?!_ Garde quickly passed the black Pikachu and started digging, desperate to unearth her leader and true love. _That's not true. Shadow Pokemon cannot exist here. They are only in stories parents tell their little ones to make them behave. "If you misbehave or do naughty things, a Shadow Pokemon will come and take you away." They're not real, they're just a story. They are not real! But then...what is she?_

She dared to look up, only to see Shivani leap into the forest seconds before Croc, Mary, and Patsy appeared. Geckon groaned as he struggled to his feet, glaring at Flare and Lili.

"Garde, Croc, is Horus okay?" Geckon coughed.

"I'll dig him out, Garde. You check Team Moonlight," Croc said.

The Feraligatr started digging while Garde joined Team Shocker in checking Team Moonlight's injuries.

"Hey, where's Shelly?" Lili asked, noticing the Pikachu's absence.

"I didn't see your friend but I saw a Pikachu named Shivani," Garde commented. "She was a Shadow Pokemon."

"Wait, did you say a Pikachu?" Flare demanded. "Our friend Shelly is a Pikachu!"

"But that Pikachu was named Shivani," Lili pointed out. "It couldn't have been Shelly."

"Maybe Horus can shed some light on your friend's disappearance and Shivani's appearance," Geckon suggested.

"Well, I'll search for her while you guys uncover this Horus guy," Mary said. "Come on, Patsy. We have a Pikachu to find."

"Okay!" the Pachirisu cheered. "We're coming, Shelly!"

Nearly half an hour after Team Shocker went off in search of the missing Shelly, Croc finally hauled Horus from the ground.

"I got him! Geckon, help me get him out of here!" the Feraligatr roared.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Geckon crouched beside the deep hole and reached in, grabbing his leader by the shoulders and dropping him off in Garde's lap. Then the Sceptile reached in again and grabbed Croc's hand, pulling him out as well.

"There. Is he okay?" the Sceptile asked.

"We'll know in a minute," Garde replied, resting a hand on his forehead.

"Ugh..." Horus opened his eyes and blinked, pain shooting through his head from Shivani's tail. Then he realized who he was resting on. "Garde? Glad to see you again."

"Glad to see you too, honey." Garde giggled. "Honey, can you tell us about your fight with Shelly and Shivani?"

"One minute I was fighting the Pikachu and when I was about to beat her, her fur turned black and Shivani was my new opponent. It's like they were one Pokemon, just two different souls," Horus replied.

"Is that even possible?" Flare asked. _Is this Shivani person and Shelly the same person? That would explain what happened at Mt. Bristle. Black fur, red eyes, red electricity, bloodthirsty attitude... Just like how she was acting against Drowzee._

"Flare, I don't get it? Who's Shivani?" Lili asked. "Is Shelly coming back soon? Where's Shelly?"

"Well, Shelly is..." Flare broke off.

"She's GONE, that's what!" Mary stepped out of the forest, Patsy pulling twigs from the Mareep's wool. "We couldn't find her, but her trail was leading southwest toward the Northern Desert."

"Didn't you try to follow her?!" Flare cried.

"We tried to but we couldn't go any farther." Patsy sniffed.

"Why not?!" the Vulpix barked.

"Because there are cliffs in that direction, Flare!" Mary shouted. "I'm not putting myself or Patsy at risk by climbing down some Arceus forsaken cliffs just to find your friend! I'm sorry but I just can't do that!"

"But we can't leave her!" Lili wailed. "We have to find her!"

"Why would you want to find her?" Horus asked. "She nearly killed me!"

"She's our team leader, that's why!" Flare practically screamed, silencing everyone. "...We have to find her. I'll look for her by myself if I have to."

"Flare..." Lili whimpered as the Vulpix turned, walking toward where Mary just came from.

A hand rested on the Vulpix's shoulder, halting her.

"Please don't go. It's too dangerous for one Pokemon to go all alone." It was Garde. "You and Team Shocker should return to Wigglytuff's Guild. We of Team Raptors will search for your friend Shelly."

"But—"

"No buts, Flare," Mary warned. "Let's just go. If anyone can find Shelly, Team Raptors will. They're not Diamond Rank for nothing. You're just a Normal Rank team, Flare. You'll get hurt. Going off alone isn't the answer."

"But..." Tears started streaming down the Vulpix's face. "She's my friend. She's my one and only friend. I can't just leave her!"

"You won't be leaving her," Croc reassured her. "The best thing for you to do is to get home safely. What would Shelly think if she found you dead? She'd probably want to die too. I know I would if my friends died. You kids get on home and let us search for her. But knowing Pikachu like I do, she'll come home on her own."

"How?" Flare sobbed.

"Pikachu always return to where they think home is," Croc explained. "It's like with Manaphy returning to where they were born in the sea. Pikachu naturally return to where home is and, if I'm correct, Shelly's home is with you at Wigglytuff's Guild. Even if we can't find her, she'll turn up in Treasure Town eventually. It's an instinct thing, basically."

"Are you sure?" Flare asked.

"I can't make any promises, kid," Croc said gently. "All I can offer is a bit of hope."

"...Thanks." Flare turned to Team Shocker. "Okay... Let's go home now. Lili, come on. I'll show you around Wigglytuff's Guild and grab an extra bed there for you. Shelly will come back. I know she will."

"Okay, Flare," Lili said.

The young Mudkip walked alongside the Vulpix as they left the forest, Team Shocker in the lead.

"Do you think we will find her, Croc?" Horus asked.

"I hope so," the Feraligatr grumbled.

"So do I, Croc," Garde agreed. "So do I..."

Team Raptors watched as the four Pokemon faded from sight. The Diamond Rank team settled down for the night, vowing to start searching in the morning.

_Far away, near the edge of the Northern Desert..._

Shelly coughed, collapsing. Her injuries from her fight against the Blaziken were bleeding anew from all her running. No, not her running—Shivani's running. Why the Shadow Pokemon fled was beyond Shelly's knowledge but she knew one thing. The Shadow Pikachu had gotten her horribly lost. Now she was on the edge of a desert with no sign of Flare anywhere.

"Where am I?" she gasped, panting for breath. _Have to keep moving. Without Flare and Lili, I'm easy prey for predators since I'm alone._ Ignoring the pain, the Pikachu dragged herself across the rapidly cooling desert sand.

Hours passed before she saw something ahead that surprised her.

"What's going on here?!" she muttered.

Miles in every direction, the desert sand was covered in snow.

Shivering, Shelly forced herself onward through the freezing snow. Then she discovered two more problems. One, she kept getting stuck in deep snow and her paws were growing numb from the constant digging. Two, wherever she stepped left a few drops of blood behind her. She was leaving a trail!

Nearly an hour passed before she finally collapsed for the final time. She was freezing, hungry, and hurt. The snow turned crimson from her injuries but she did nothing to stop the blood.

"Flare...Lili...help...me..."

The Pikachu felt her eyelids growing heavy and the call of sleep was strong

Just as she was about to follow that call, she heard something. Two pairs of feet were crunching through the snow not far from her. Her hearing was fuzzy, making the voices unintelligible. The crunching grew closer. Whatever it was had spotted her and was coming...fast!

Not far away, Cecil and Grovyle were traveling toward the edge of the island to steal the second Time Gear. They would have to swim there but it didn't matter to them any. They needed the Time Gears!

Cecil, though blind, sensed something nearby. Something...familiar. "Sir, something is here."

"Of course something is here, Cecil. Snow, sand, and Pokemon hidden under the snow!" Grovyle snapped, shivering. The cold was getting to him, making his temper a bit higher than usual. "We have to keep moving, Cecil. Once we reach the shoreline, we can rest and warm up before heading for the volcano."

"Yes, sir, but I'm serious!" the Treecko continued. "Someone is here!"

"Just ignore them and keep moving! We can't waste time out here, Cecil!" Then Grovyle realized that Cecil was straying off the path. "Cecil, I'm over here!"

"I'm going to find out who that is, sir! Something is familiar about this person and I'm going to find out why!"

Cecil bounded into the snow, leaving a baffled and angry Grovyle behind.

"Familiar? Why would anything in this world be famil—?!" Then it hit him. "Could it be? Did Cecil find my partner already?! I hope so!"

Grovyle quickly raced through the snow in pursuit of the Treecko. When he found Cecil, he was surprised by what was with him.

"You found a Pikachu?"

"Yes, sir," Cecil nodded, sounding disappointed. "But I was certain it was Miss Shelly, sir. I'm sorry for getting you excited, sir."

"It's all right, Cecil," Grovyle replied. Then he saw the blood. "She's hurt. Let's go before the scent of her blood attracts unwanted attention. I don't want to pick a fight out here in this cold weather."

"She'll die, sir! Can we bring her with us, at least until we get out of the snow?" Cecil asked. "Please, sir!"

Grovyle growled in frustration. "Fine, we'll bring her with us but _only_ until we get out of this freezing place!"

Cecil smiled, nodding. "Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Grovyle picked up the wounded Pikachu and went off in search of the path.

Just as Cecil made to get up, he had a strange feeling. _That Pikachu...Why did she seem familiar to me? Miss Shelly is a human, not a Pokemon! So...why does her aura feel the exact same as Miss Shelly's? How strange..._

"Cecil! Hurry up before you get lost!" Grovyle's voice tore through Cecil's thoughts. "Cecil! Cecil!"

"I'm coming, sir!" The Treecko crawled through the snow until he reached the path Grovyle had stomped out for them. "I'm back, sir. Sorry!"

"Well, at least you didn't get lost again. Let's get moving! We have another Time Gear to find."

"Yes, sir!"

The two Grass-types vanished into the snow-covered desert, taking the unconscious Shelly with them.

As they disappeared from sight, a single Shadow wolf rose from the snow. It was Enyeto, and he began to laugh. "So, our time to rule is now beginning... Not a threat anymore, right, mousy?"

He let out a loud howl before vanishing, laughter faded with the chilly winter winds.


	10. Searching for Shelly

Three days passed before Team Shocker and Team Moonlight returned to Treasure Town. After being greeted by the guild and an overjoyed Wigglytuff, the four Pokemon went to dinner. Once that was over, Flare and Lili finally managed to get away from the Silver Rank team. They were still upset over Shelly's disappearance. The Pikachu still hadn't turned up.

 _I guess she isn't here yet,_ Flare thought. Then she noticed something. "Lili, stay here. I'll be back." Wandering closer, her eyes widened in shock. It was Molt! And he was…crying? "Molt? Is that you?"

"Huh?!" The Flareon jumped, whirling around in fear but relaxing upon seeing the Vulpix. "It's just you, Flare. I thought you were Freeze for a minute. Sorry."

"It's okay. Why are you crying?"

"Well… It involves my brother." Molt cleared his throat and explained everything. "It happened not long after you and Team Shocker vanished. Freeze became obsessed with becoming stronger so he could beat that Shadow Wolf. He's even disobeying Chatot, Flare!"

"Why's he doing that?" Flare asked.

"Freeze has always wanted to get stronger," Molt replied. "But he's changed now…a lot! He's getting meaner and he won't take me on missions with him anymore. He's says I'm just slowing him down. Freeze isn't acting like himself anymore, Flare. I'm actually afraid of him now!"

"It's okay, Molt. You're not alone in this." Tears ran down Flare's cheeks. "Shelly went missing while we were gone. I found out something about her that's scaring me, too. In some battles, it's like she's a whole other person. Shelly and Freeze are both changing, Molt. And you and I are being left behind…"

"Huh?" Molt simply stared as the Vulpix suddenly hugged him, burying her face in his chest. She was bawling now. "It's okay, Flare. I'm here for you." The Flareon hugged her back. "I'm here, Flare. I'm here."

"I wish everything was like before!" Flare cried, sobbing. "Why is everything so different now? Ever since those Shadow Wolves popped up, things have changed! I hate it! Why can't everything be like before? Why?!"

"Shhhh, it's okay. Let it out, Flare. I'm here…" Molt muttered, rubbing her back gently. "It's okay, Flare. It's okay…"

After a bit, Flare stopped crying. She looked up at Molt and smiled. "Thanks, Molt. You're the nicest guy I've ever met. I'm glad you and I are friends."

"Uh, thanks. I'm glad I met you, too." Molt nodded, blushing. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met." Then he realized what he said. "Aah! I didn't mean that! I mean, yes, you're beautiful but—"

"It's okay, Molt. I understand now." Flare giggled. "I love you too."

"Huh?!"

Molt was cut off when Flare kissed him. It only lasted a few seconds but it felt like an eternity. The only thing he could say when she pulled away was "Wow…"

"Yeah. Wow…" Flare nodded.

"Flare?" a small voice said.

"Waah!" the two Fire-types screamed in surprise. Then Flare noticed who it was. "Oh! Lili! Don't do that, okay?"

"Okay." The Mudkip nodded. "Flare, I'm tired."

"Oh," Flare muttered. _It's been a long four days, what with all the fighting and walking. I'm surprised she hasn't said anything until now. She's acting just like Shelly…_ "Okay, let's get you to bed. I'm pretty tired, too. Night, Molt. Thanks…for everything."

"No problem." The Flareon chuckled. "If you ever need someone to talk to or something, I'm your guy."

"I'll remember that."

Lili followed Flare down the hallway toward Team Moonlight's room.

"This is our room, Lili. The three of us will all sleep in here, okay?" Flare said.

"Uh-huh…" Lili blinked tiredly, slowly swaying from side to side.

Just as Flare pushed the door open, Sparks raced toward them. "Flare! Where's Shelly? She wasn't with you when you came back!"

"She's…gone, Sparks. We got separated from her on our way back. I don't know where she is." Flare lowered her head sadly.

"You mean she's lost? Oh man!" Sparks whined. "Do you have any idea where she went?"

"Mary said she was heading for the Northern Desert, we couldn't follow because of the cliffs. Team Raptors is already looking for her, Sparks," Flare replied.

"Well, one exploration team can't cover that whole desert!" the male Pikachu argued. "I'm gonna grab my pal, Igashu, and we'll go help!" He turned and fled, shouting "I'm coming to save you, Shelly!" as he went.

"…He's an odd guy," Lili said.

"I agree. Most men act like him, as far as I've seen," Flare agreed. "Molt is one of the exceptions."

"Guys are weird!"

"Most of them are, Lili. Now let's go to bed."

Entering the room, Flare closed the door behind her. She collapsed on her bed and sighed in relief. Then she saw Lili perched by Shelly's bed.

"That's Shelly's bed, Lili. You can sleep there until I can talk to Chatot about getting a third bed in here."

"Okay…" The Mudkip curled up in Shelly's bed before burrowing under the hay. "I miss Shelly, Flare!" she sobbed.

"I miss her too, Lili. She'll come back… I know she will." Flare closed her eyes. _At least, I hope she will… Shelly, please be safe. We need you…_

Lili closed her eyes, dreaming that Shelly was sleeping beside her and protecting her. _Please come back, Shelly. Please…_

Neither Pokemon got an easy sleep that night. But then again, neither did Shelly herself…

_On a beach to the far north of Treasure Town…_

Pain was the only thing Shelly could register as she slowly woke up. _Where am I? I'm not in the snowy desert, that's for sure._

She could smell salt water and feel warm sand underneath her. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at a bonfire only a short distance away. And seated by that fire was a familiar green lizard Pokemon. 

_He looks like the guy from my vision…_ Shelly thought.

"Oh, you're awake! I'm so glad you're okay, miss!"

"Waah!" the Pikachu screamed, jumping. Pain erupted from her side and chest.

"Don't move so quickly, miss!" the small Treecko cried. "You don't want to make it worse, do you?"

"Huh?" Her eyes widened in shock when she saw those milky white eyes of his. _He's the Treecko from my vision!_ "Oh, thanks! Sorry about that, Cecil."

"What did you call me?" Cecil asked, shocked. "How did you know my name?"

"Oh! I, um…heard it when you guys were carrying me from the desert!" Shelly quickly said. _Smooth move, Shelly. Bet he'll believe that…_

"Okay." Cecil nodded. "Oh! I better tell Grovyle that you're awake. Come on, I'll help you get to the fire."

"Uh, I think I can still walk on my own." Shelly struggled to her feet and slowly followed Cecil to the bonfire. "Ooh, warm…"

"Grovyle, sir!" Cecil cried. "The Pikachu woke up!"

"About time! We have to leave soon," Grovyle snapped, glaring at Shelly. "We've wasted enough time here as it is! Don't forget, Cecil, we still have our mission to complete."

"I know, sir," Cecil muttered.

"Thanks for helping me. I'd probably be dead if you hadn't." Shelly couldn't help but feel a bit frightened by Grovyle. Something about him was so familiar yet she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Well, we're far behind schedule thanks to you. Cecil, grab your bag before that Pikachu starts digging through our things. I don't want her finding our…treasure."

"Hey, I'm no thief!" Shelly barked. "I'm part of an exploration team!"

"An even better reason for us to protect our things," Grovyle grumbled. "Cecil, hurry up. LOOK OUT!"

"What? Waah!"

The Treecko tripped over a rock and fell, dropping his bag. A large blue gear rolled out of it and came to a stop beside Shelly.

"Sir, where is it? I'm so sorry!" Cecil started patting the ground around in, searching for the gear.

 _That looks like the gear from my vision, too._ Shelly picked it up and held it out to Cecil. "You mean this thing? It landed right beside me and—?!" She dropped the gear and clutched her head. "Ugh! Evil headaches!"

"Miss, what's wrong? Miss? Miss!" Cecil cried.

The vision started immediately. _Cecil and Grovyle were racing through a forest in the rain. Lightning flashed above and thunder boomed but neither Pokemon slowed down. Then they entered a clearing that held a strangely-shaped lake and floating in the center…was the blue gear! Grovyle came forward and snatched it. "Could this be? Yes, it is! Our first Time Gear!"_ Then the vision ended with the duo fleeing as the ground became grey.

Shelly jumped upright and watched in fear as Cecil put the Time Gear away. _Daisy said the Time Gears were being stolen. Time is stopping where Time Gears have been, only in Treeshroud Forest currently. These two have a Time Gear… They're the thieves!_

"Miss, are you okay?" Cecil asked. "Did you get a headache?"

"Yeah, a bad one." Shelly nodded, backing up. "Look, I think I'm feeling much better now. Thanks for the help, Cecil. I need to go. See you!"

Turning, she leaped into the trail and tore away from the beach, running toward Treasure Town's location.

"That was a weird exit," Cecil said.

"It doesn't matter. She's gone now so we should get moving. We've wasted more time than we needed to helping her," Grovyle snapped, kicking sand onto the fire. "We're leaving for the volcano now. Get ready to swim, Cecil. Stay close."

Grovyle plunged into the cold salty water.

"Wait for me, sir!" Cecil cried, quickly swimming after him.

His hands grabbed the long leaf at the back of Grovyle's head and hung on. Grovyle tolerated this. It wasn't Cecil's fault he was blind, anyhow.

Shelly, on the other hand, raced through the forest as fast as her paws could take her. _I have to get back to Treasure Town and tell them what happened! I hope nothing bad has happened to Flare or Lili yet…_ She ran over a hill and stood up at the top, the wind ruffling her yellow fur. The slowly-rising sun easily outlined Sharpedo Bluff. _I'm coming home, guys!_

_Wigglytuff's Guild…_

_There was fire everywhere. And at the center of it all was Shelly. Flare cried out, running to her partner's side. A dark shadow loomed over them, red eyes glowing in glee._

_You couldn't protect her, Flare," the shadow said. "Not from your father, not from the Shadow Wolves, and not from the future."_

" _The future?" Flare squeaked._

" _Yes, the future. You can't change anything and will only get heartbreak in the end."_

_The Shadow gestured to look around and the Vulpix did so. She gasped._

_The fire was now raging around more than just Shelly. Many figures of Pokemon surrounded her, the most recognizable being Lili the Mudkip and Tangle the Tangela. She didn't know who the others were, though. Then she saw a familiar black Pikachu only feet away from Shelly. Shivani…the Shadow Pokemon, as Garde called her. A Gardevoir, bigger than Garde, lay near her. None of the figures were moving._

" _W-what happened here? What's wrong with them?" Flare asked, nudging Lili gently._

_The Mudkip didn't make a sound._

" _They're dead, Flare," the Shadow replied, baring sharp teeth. "This is the fate of those most precious to you. If only you had remained in the future instead of fleeing to the past. Your friends would have been safe then."_

" _You're wrong! This can't be the future of us! It just can't!" Flare cried._

" _And why can't it be?"_

" _I've lived in the future my whole life and I hate it!" Flare declared. "If this is the future of us, then I'll find a way to change it!"_

" _Changing this would change your future and the future you lived in. Are you sure that is such a wise decision?"_

" _Time is at a standstill in the future, but the past is still alive and beautiful. I want it to stay that way, no matter what!" Flare glared at the Shadow._

"… _We'll see how this unfolds, Flare. Good luck changing the future…and your inner self."_

_The Shadow laughed before departing, Flare's friends and the other figures dissolving in seconds._

Then her dream shattered as a loud voice boomed in her ears.

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

"Ugh! Morning, Lili… How do you like the wake-up call?" Flare asked, cracking open an eye.

Lili was huddled under the leaves and straw, her paws firmly covering her ears. "Hurts…"

"That's what we have to wake up to every morning, Lili. Might as well try to get used to it." Flare stood up and stretched, yawning. "Come on, time for morning announcements before work time."

The Vulpix left the room, Lili following her.

Chatot was just beginning the announcements when Team Moonlight entered. Glaring at the late apprentices, he continued nonetheless. "Everyone! I have an announcement before we get down to work. Let me introduce…"

Icy the Glaceon turned toward Flare. "No sign of Shelly yet? I am deeply sorry for your loss."

"We're holding up fine, Icy. Shelly will come back sooner or later," Flare explained. "Team Raptors is searching for her. I just have to take care of Lili until she gets back. So, no missions for me…right?"

"I don't think so, Flare. You know Chatot won't let that go past him."

"Well, a girl can hope." Then a foul scent hit her nose. "Yuck! What's that smell?!"

"Maybe it's coming from that big Skuntank," Lili suggested.

"Skuntank?" Looking up, her brown eyes widened in shock. "Oh no! You've got to be kidding! What are _they_ doing here?!"

"These three are our new partners," Chatot explained.

"Whoa-ho-ho! I'm Koffing."

"Heh-heh-heh! Zubat here. Glad to meet you."

"And I'm Team Skull's leader. I'm Skuntank. Remember it." Then he turned to Flare and Lili. "Especially you two. Chaw-haw-haw!"

Chatot looked surprised. "What? You're already acquainted with Team Moonlight? That simplifies things. These three aren't joining us as apprentices. They will be joining our expedition to lend us their assistance."

"Whaaaaat?!" Flare cried.

"Why are you so shocked?" Chatot asked.

"Chatot, sir, it's nothing," Skuntank interrupted. "That one always overreacts to every little thing. Chaw-haw-haw."

"Hmmm…" Chatot finally nodded. "Very well, then. Now, the Guild—"

"Hang on a sec! Where's that Pikachu that's always with you?" Zubat asked, finally noticing Shelly's absence. "Where'd she go?"

"None of your business!" Lili shouted.

"That's enough!" Chatot barked. "I apologize for her behavior. Shelly has mysteriously vanished and explorations teams are currently searching for her."

"Oh, okay." Zubat grinned toward Skuntank. _So, the chicken's all alone right now besides that baby Mudkip…_

"Anyway, the Guildmaster has made his decision. He has decided that having this trio take part will make us stronger over the expedition. However, it would be impossible to coordinate teamwork if we were to begin working right away. Therefore, we've decided the trio should live with us for several days. Though it will only be for a short while, I ask everyone to treat our guests with hospitality."

"…Doesn't Chatot think something stinks about this? Literally?" Loudred muttered.

"Maybe his nose is plugged or something," Luna the Pichu suggested.

"…Eew! How can the Guildmaster stand this?" Sunflora wondered.

"I sure hope this expedition ends soon! Yup yup!" Bidoof whimpered.

"I second that, Bidoof," Molt agreed.

"All right, everyone. Let's get down to work," Chatot said.

"…Hooray?" everyone said.

Chatot blinked before speaking. "What's this? Where's your usual spirit?"

"You gotta be KIDDING!" Loudred bellowed. "This STINKS! How do you expect us to be cheerful when…?" The ground started shaking. "WH-WHAT?!"

"Flare, what's happening?" Lili whined.

"I don't know! Chatot!" Flare yelled.

"YOOM…" Wigglytuff whimpered. "YOOOOOOOM…"

"Aah!" Chatot squawked. "No! The Guildmaster… His rage is building! If the Guildmaster gets angry, it will be horrific! Everyone! Come on! Be cheerful, even if it hurts! All right, everyone! Let's get down to today's work!"

Flare gathered her strength before screaming "HOORAY!" with everyone else at the top of her lungs. The shaking instantly stopped. "That was fast…"

Everyone immediately left until only Chatot, Team Moonlight, and Team Skull remained.

"Chaw-haw-haw! Glad to have met you," Skuntank said with false politeness. "It's a shame we couldn't see your Pikachu leader again."

Koffing and Zubat laughed before Team Skull departed.

Flare turned to Lili. "Urk! Something's definitely suspicious about them for sure. I don't know what they're scheming…but we better be careful, Lili. Those guys are bad news."

"Right!" Lili nodded. "Skuntank is a bad guy, right?"

"I…guess so?" Flare sighed. _Remember, she's just a kid. These guys are probably more than just bullies in her eyes._

"Ah, you two," Chatot called. "Take care of the jobs on the boards today, okay? We're counting on you."

"Yes, sir." Flare nodded. _I guess Icy was right. I'll have to do missions with Lili until Shelly comes back._ "Chatot, could we get a third bed in Team Moonlight's room. Lili wants to stay with us."

"Huh? A third bed?" Chatot asked. "Well, I'll see what I can do. Do a good job today and I'll have it done."

"Thanks!" Flare said, climbing up the ladder. She noticed how Team Skull and the apprentices were on opposite sides of the room. "Okay…"

"What are they doing, Flare?" Lili asked.

"I have no clue, and I'm guessing that I don't really want to know." The Vulpix started climbing up the other ladder. "Lili, this way! This is gonna be your first mission, okay? Keep up!"

"Don't worry! I will! _You_ better keep up!"

_Later that night…_

It was another quiet night in the Wigglytuff Guild and everyone was sleeping… Well, not everyone. A single exploration team lay awake, stomachs growling even after dinner. They were Team Skull and they were hatching a plan.

"We just had dinner, but I could go for some more food," Zubat said.

"My belly will never get filled on grub like that," Koffing agreed.

"All right," Skuntank growled. "The guild members have all gone off to bed… Let's go find it now."

"Huh? Find what?" Zubat asked.

"What else? The guild's food stock," Skuntank replied. "We'll find their food and give ourselves a proper feast."

"I like that thinking, Chief!" Koffing complimented.

"Okay, let's get to it!" Zubat nodded.

The trio headed off to accomplish their goal. This would mean plenty of trouble for Team Moonlight in the future…

_The next morning…_

After waking up via Loudred, Team Moonlight went to the morning announcements.

"AND THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" everyone cheered.

Team Skull simply stayed silent.

"OK, Pokemon! Time to get to work!" Chatot cried.

"HOORAY!" Everyone dispersed.

Just as Flare and Lili headed for the ladder, a voice stopped them. "Flare, can we talk to you?"

"Horus! Team Raptors!" Flare cried.

The Diamond-ranked exploration team had returned. Horus was in front of his teammates and hung his head. "I apologize, Flare. We scoured the entire Northern Desert and found no trace of Shelly. I'm afraid we've failed to find her."

"…No…" The tears came immediately. "Shelly can't be gone! She just can't!"

"I'm so sorry, dear." Garde wrapped her arms around the crying Vulpix. "Just because we did not find her doesn't mean she is gone. Maybe she is coming home right now."

"The main reason we couldn't find her is because of the snow," Croc pointed out.

"Snow?" Lili repeated. "What's snow, Flare?"

"It's frozen water that falls from the sky," Geckon explained. "It's beautiful but cold if there's a lot of it."

"That was the first time any of us had seen snow falling in a desert. We kept getting turned around because our tracks kept being buried." Horus laughed. "We found no tracks or signs of Shelly, but I'm willing to bet that a tough girl like her is fine. She'll be home any day now."

"Thank you," Flare whispered. "I'm sorry we caused you guys so much trouble. Helping a Normal-rank team must be degrading to you."

"Not at all! Everyone needs help sometimes, even us," Horus replied. "When Shelly comes back, tell her to keep training. I want to battle her again sometime in the future."

"I will!" Flare nodded.

"Well, we're off to train some more. It's been a long time since we've come back here. Maybe we'll stay a while." Croc chuckled. "Good luck, you two!"

Garde smiled. "I see an improvement for your team in the future, Flare." She turned and followed her team as they left.

"An improvement?" Flare muttered. "I wonder what that means…"

"Ah, you two," Chatot called. "Your task today is to obtain stock to replenish the larder."

"Larder? You mean, go get some food?" Flare asked.

"Correct." Chatot nodded. "We inspected the larder this morning. For some mysterious reason, the guild's food stock has dropped sharply all of a sudden. Furthermore, our entire stock of Perfect Apples has disappeared. That was the only item to get completely cleaned out."

"Perfect Apples? What are those?" Lili asked. "I know what Apples and Big Apples are but not those."

"They're very big and very delicious apples," Chatot explained. "But more than that, they are the Guildmaster's favorite food! If there were no Perfect Apples, the Guildmaster would, um… The Guildmaster w-w-would… Erk!"

"Go on. If there were no Perfect Apples, what would happen to Wigglytuff?" Flare asked.

"The G-Guildmaster would… Yes, that's what would happen."

Flare and Lili looked at each other in confusion.

"He didn't even say it!" Lili whined.

"That's why I'm begging you two to get some Perfect Apples!" Chatot cried.

"Uh, what did he just say?! I didn't hear! It'll drive me crazy, not knowing!" Flare complained.

"Oh well." Lili sighed. "Sure, we'll go get some. You can count on us!"

"Good!" Chatot said. "Perfect Apples can be found deep in Apple Woods. Now, listen, this may seem like a simple errand but it's a crucial job. After all, this is about the Guildmaster's… Erk! So please don't fail!"

"OK!" Flare barked. "Let's do our best, Lili!"

"Right!" The Mudkip nodded.

As Team Moonlight went up the ladder, Team Skull watched.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Looks like they're going out foraging for food," Koffing said.

"That's because we feasted last night. A thankless task thanks to us, chaw-haw-haw!" Skuntank chuckled.

"Heh-heh-heh! Let's mess with them!" Zubat suggested.

Team Skull quickly followed as Team Moonlight reached the road leading to the dungeons.

After a long while of walking, they reached Apple Woods. Trees chock full of Apples surrounded them and Lili couldn't resist grabbing a few to eat on the way.

"This must be the way into Apple Woods, Lili," Flare called. "According to Chatot, we need to go to the deepest part of the woods. That's where the Perfect Apples are supposed to be. Let's get them, Lili."

The duo ran into the forest.

Team Skull came out once they were gone.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Looks like they're off and running!" Koffing laughed.

"Heh-heh-heh! We'll go after them," Zubat added. "Come on."

"Hold it! I hear something." Skuntank stood still before diving into a bush. "Come on, you slowpokes! Someone's coming!"

As the trio watched from their hiding spot, two Shadow Wolves stepped out from a shadow beneath a tree. The biggest of the pair stepped forward, sniffing the air. A large blue stone collar with the Unown letter C was around his neck.

"Pari, I've found their scent. Shelly went in this direction, no doubt about it."

The smaller Shadow Wolf, a female named Pari, nodded. "Enyeto failed his assignment to kill that mouse. Now we'll prove that we are more worthy of the task than he is. Right, Ahanu?" A bright pink stone collar with the Unown letter Y was around her neck.

"Of course, Pari."

The giant male lumbered forward, only two feet from Team Skull's hiding place. Pari quickly followed him, giggling happily.

Once they vanished into the forest, Team Skull came out.

"What was that?!" Zubat yelped.

"Those must've been those Shadow Wolves everyone's been talking about," Skuntank muttered. "They're way bigger than I thought. But why are they looking for Shelly? She isn't even with them!"

"I think I know why they think she is, Chief." Zubat whimpered.

"What is it, Zubat?" Koffing asked.

"The little Mudkip has Shelly's scent all over her. Maybe she slept in Shelly's bed or something because her tracks smell just like that Pikachu," Zubat explained. "What'll happen to them if those Shadow Wolves realize she's not with them?"

"Who cares? It's their problem!" Koffing argued.

"Well, we're going after them," Skuntank declared. "If we want to stay on the guild's good side, helping those runts against those Shadow Wolves will end up benefiting us later."

"Whoa-ho-ho! Good thinking, Chief. Just one question. What can we do?" Koffing asked.

"We fight, that's what. Now let's go!"

Team Skull followed the tracks of Team Moonlight and the Shadow Wolves. They had a job to do now. It all just depended on if they could catch up in time. Luckily, they weren't the only ones trying to find Team Moonlight.

_Wigglytuff's Guild…_

"Chatot!" Shelly cried as she tore down the ladders. "Chatot! I'm back!"

"Shelly?!" Chatot squawked as the Pikachu skidded to a stop in front of him. "Where were you? Everyone's been worried sick!"

"I'm so sorry, Chatot. Where are Flare and Lili?"

"In Apple Woods. I sent them on a mission to get some Perfect Apples," Chatot explained. "You'll need to move fast if you want to catch up with them."

"All right! After we get back, have I got news for you!" Shelly ran back up the ladders and tore out of the guild with speed to put an Arcanine's Extremespeed to shame. _Flare, Lili! I'm coming, you guys! Shelly's back home!_

Upon reaching the entrance to Apple Woods, she stared in shock at the large paw prints on the ground.

"Shadow Wolves," she whispered.

Reaching out a paw, she touched them. The vision came instantly.

_Flare and Lili were fighting a small Shadow Wolf wearing a pink collar. Team Skull was fighting a larger Shadow Wolf. Both teams were badly hurt. Just as both wolves were about to strike for the final time, a voice tore through the forest. "STOP IT!"_

Shelly jerked awake. "I have to hurry. Flare and Lili are in danger!"

As the Pikachu charged into the forest, a small monkey with a hand-like tail peered out from a tree. It giggled playfully. "I wonder where she's off to in such a rush. I'll think I'll find out!" The monkey vanished, following Shelly through the trees.


End file.
